Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei says this is precisely the point of the department. Unsurprisingly, she opposes any move to adjust the balance between conservation and the economic use of the Crown estate to include more potential mining activities. The current balance that focuses on public access and recreation, with some allowance for mining or power generation, is sufficient, she says.

Besides, Turei believes focusing on mineral extraction is “19th-century thinking” and misses the point on the true value proposition of public estate land. That includes tourism, a possible carbon sequestration industry, and long-term benefits in the form of flood protection, clean water and biodiversity

Any analysis that misses these benefits is a failure, she says.

It’s not surprising that National see the only value of our Conservation land in what money it can produce. Thank goodness the Greens are speaking up to oppose the latest plans to wreck our country.