29/10/2026
👀We recently admitted four patients of threatened conservation status: A collision-injured Koekoeā Long tailed cuckoo, and three orphaned Pāteke Brown teal ducklings. The cuckoo was found in the C*D, and Pāteke in Waiheke!
🔮These rescues are a reminder that with increasing community-conservation successes (🥳), even rare species are returning to urban and suburban backyards! But, as they return, we Kiwis urgently need to think about long-term environmental protections.
📨We sent an urgent shriek (like the call of the Koekoeā), inviting local candidates from the main political parties. There were two questions (see attached invite), and the opportunity to discuss their environmental protection plans.
Steve Abel MP (Greens), (Labour) and (Opportunity) answered. Their deep korero is summarised below.
We look forward to hearing back from National, ACT and NZ First. (During a previous visit, Brooke van Velden of ACT noted that cost of living pressures reduced funding to animal welfare charities).
🌈BirdCare holds a firm non-partisan position. We care about birds, and the wonderful people who care about birds!
🌿Our dear friends from Matuku Link joined in the korero. Their award-winning restoration project rehomes many recoveries from BirdCare. Also in the mix was EveryBody Eats (food-waste recovering restaurant), as we share donated gear. Our friends from the Dept of Corrections too were onsite, busy mowing the grass to protect bird-patients recovering in our outdoor aviaries. 🫶As we discussed with our political guests, not-for-profit orgs are bustling nests of transdisciplinary collabs and meaningful impact.
🐟We really appreciate our guests taking the time from their busy schedules to discuss environmental protections. They sure earned their chocolate fish!
💸All three guests have backgrounds in not-for-profits (Youth law, Greenpeace, and the Arts & Music), recognising the value of charitable, grassroots orgs. Each spoke of the challenges for community organisations with insufficient long-term funding.
👂When asked about environmental protection policies/plans:
🔴Labour rep Vanushi discussed recent changes in the Wildlife Act, Conservation Ammendment Bill, and Resource Management reforms, processed under urgency, with lasting effects on the conservation of taonga. Many NZ species and ecosystems are found nowhere else in the world.
*Labour wishes to update the Wildlife Act, in a manner that protects principles of Te Tiriri. They are committed to returning to the Predator Free 2050 vision (a programme announced by Sir John Key), that had recent funding cuts.
*Further, Vanushi noted that cuts to the public service impacted environmental agencies like DOC and MPI; sharing Labour's commitments to reversing half of the 2024 job cuts, and stopping the projected 9000 public service cuts.
*She noted the Conservation Amendment bill's economic interest provisions need to be repealed, as Conservation and the Environment are 'pivotally important' for kiwis. Further, returning international commitments to climate change under the Paris Agreement, and a review of the New Zealand's Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS).
🟢Greens rep Steve recently advocated for BirdCare and wildlife hospitals to obtain MPI funding for Avian Influenza preparedness, as a member of the parliamentary Primary Productions select committee. *Steve noted the previous orientation of thinking around agriculture and production, over wildlife. However, with advocacy, even this committee are “increasingly recognising the vital lifeline work” of wildlife hospitals and community conservation groups. He commended community orgs, whose local knowledge and subject matter expertise is best equipped, if resourced properly.
*Recognising the true value of taonga species and ecosystems means that extraction-based economic prospects, for largely off-shore profits, are untenable for the long-term sustainable future of Aotearoa. Instead, the Greens wish to support renewable industries, and increase baseline state funding for public good blue-skies science, R&D- so that the purpose of the work is not purely for commercial gain.
*The Greens are also advocating for greater marine ecosystem protections, regarding bottom trawling and deep sea mining.
*They want conservation as a priority for public funding, with ‘amazing and invaluable NGO work’ recognised through more secure funding. He noted that the emaciated nature of the economy and cost of living, has currently reduced the capacity of NGOs who are dependent on public donations.
🔵Opportunity rep Mark discussed the party's commitments to repealing Conservation, RMA and fast-tracking bills, noting the challenges felt across communities when bills and applications are progressed under urgency. Mark's colleague Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb was the former CEO of WWF_NZ (BirdCare have indeed worked with Kayla at WWF-NZ), bringing subject matter expertise towards the party's environmental and healthy oceans policies. *Opportunity are committed to ending bottom trawling. Healthy oceans, Healthy Lands and Oceans policies are about returning biodiversity. $500M nature investment fund. A return to the Paris accord, taking climate action seriously.
*Mark discussed Nature Infrastructure strategies. The party also wishes to repeal caps on charitable giving, supporting "Impact-companies" a hybrid commercial and charitable model.
🫶Quite a deep-dive indeed! Thank you for your time, and interest in our mahi.
🌈We warmly invite all political representatives to engage with BirdCare Aotearoa on long-term environmental protections. Reward: a large chocolate fish.
