This is an election year.
That matters.
It matters not because CORANZ aligns with any party - we do not - but because legislation passed in the next parliamentary term will shape rivers, access, hunting, fishing, pest control, freshwater allocation and public land use for years to come.
CORANZ is apolitical.
We are not aligned automatically with Federated Farmers.
We are not aligned automatically with environmental NGOs.
We are not aligned automatically with Government - of any stripe.
But apolitical does not mean neutral on policy.
There is a difference.
Process Matters. Outcomes Matter.
We will not engage in partisan campaigning.
We will, however, evaluate policies on principle.
Does a proposal protect ecological limits?
Does it safeguard public access?
Does it concentrate ministerial discretion without adequate scrutiny?
Does it prioritise pricing over environmental caps?
Those are policy questions, not party questions.
Legislation outlives Ministers.
That matters.
The Role of Members
CORANZ represents a wide range of outdoor codes - fishing, tramping, camping, hunting, bow hunting and more.
We also represent a wide range of political views.
That diversity is a strength.
But it means we cannot assume we already know the issues that matter most to our supporters.
So this election year, we are asking directly:
What are the main policy issues you face?
Is it freshwater quality?
Access restrictions?
Fast-track approvals?
Over-regulation?
Under-enforcement?
Biosecurity?
Coastal discharge?
Public land disposal?
We need clarity.
Evidence Before Emotion
Election years tend to amplify rhetoric.
We will resist that.
CORANZ will focus on structural questions:
- Limits before tools.
- Public resource, public responsibility.
- Proportionate regulation.
- Durable environmental management.
- Concentrated power requiring caution.
Where policy aligns with those principles, we will say so.
Where it does not, we will say so.
Calmly. Firmly. Independently.
An Invitation
We are inviting members and readers to submit short notes outlining:
- The issue.
- Why it matters.
- What principle is at stake.
- What outcome would improve the situation.
Not party slogans.
Not personality critiques.
Policy substance.
This election year should be about the future of public resources - rivers, forests, coasts and open places - not just political theatre.
If we want good policy, we need to articulate what good looks like.
That starts with input.
CORANZ will listen.
If governments are going to use public resources, you need the public benefit…not the benefit for corporates and their political donations.
Agreed Jim one principle should guide this election year discussion: if public resources are being used - whether rivers, aquifers, coastlines or conservation land - there must be demonstrable public good, not merely private benefit. Access to common assets carries obligations. Policy should ensure that use strengthens the wider community and the environment, not just individual balance sheets. That is not anti-business, nor anti-development. It is simply stewardship. Public resource, public responsibility.
The whole issue of resource rental needs to be brought front and centre in NZ politics. It will be anathema to the current mob, of course, as their supporters are used to mining the environment for private gain, and the politicians will never admit there are limits to growth.
Australia has resource rental taxes for minerals and petroleum, so there is a precedent. There is also water theft, which no doubt exists in NZ too: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/26338076251331234
Remember the old joke.
“Grandpa do fairy tails always begin with ‘Once upon a time’?” “No dear sometimes they begin with ‘If elected I promise’ …….”