Resource library

This strategy drives our efforts to protect and restore te taiao over the next five years. We want to inspire and empower New Zealanders to speak, stand and act for our indigenous nature.

From restoring native forests that prevent landslides to creating urban wetlands that manage flooding, nature-based solutions protect our communities while supporting biodiversity and climate resilience. 

Forest & Bird is alarmed by a steep decline in central government environmental spending for 2025/26 according to the latest estimate from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE).  

Forest & Bird is proud to announce that Dr Kelvin Lloyd has been awarded the prestigious Loder Cup, one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s highest honours for conservation.  

New Zealand has plummeted to 44th place out of 67 countries in the 2026 Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), reflecting the Government's extensive weakening of climate and environmental protections. 

It is of major concern that changes proposed in the Fast-track Approvals Amendment Bill are likely to exclude the potential for Forest & Bird (and other New Zealanders including independent experts, community groups and NGOs) to participate in decis

The Government’s new Fast-track Approvals Amendment Bill will effectively shut New Zealanders out of decisions that will affect generations to come and shape the future of our environment.  

Forest & Bird, with award-winning musicians Delaney Davidson and Troy Kingi, have today released Kārearea, the first track in the new musical series Waiata Manu – honouring New Zealand's Bird of the Year

Forest & Bird has warned that proposals to introduce Herds of Special Interest (HOSI) for pest species on public conservation land set a dangerous precedent and undermine the very purpose of these areas. 

A new Fast-track Approvals Amendment Bill slams the door shut on communities, says Forest & Bird. 

Forest & Bird has launched a petition calling on Conservation Minister Tama Potaka to reclassify the Denniston Plateau as a scientific reserve – a move that would permanently safeguard this ecological taonga from mining.  

Our native forests are bigger climate heroes than we realised. By Caroline Wood

A version of this story was first published in the Spring 2025 issue of Forest & Bird magazine.

Forest & Bird is fighting (again) to save Denniston’s ancient landscape, home to plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. This time will be harder as the government has silenced conservation voices with its undemocratic process.

Harsh conditions on the Denniston Plateau have given rise to an elfin world of tiny trees, wetland tussocks, and fascinating lichens. By Lynley Hargreaves

As three years of Jobs for Nature funding comes to an end, our Tautuku project manager reflects on what has been achieved. By Francesca Cunninghame

The team at Mahakirau Forest Sanctuary has removed more than 18,000 predators over two decades, helping restore a precious Coromandel biodiversity hotspot. By Kerrie Waterworth

Two exciting arachnid discoveries in a single day suggest Forest & Bird’s Moore’s Bush could be a micro-spider hotspot. By Caroline Wood

David Brooks heads to Pūkorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre, where the last of the kuaka were preparing to fly 10,000km to their breeding grounds in Alaska.

While more protection is needed, Forest & Bird is celebrating the passing of the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill as a hard-won milestone.

Seabirds and shorebirds are the stars of a new limited edition Blunt umbrella created to raise awareness of the importance of protecting marine life. By Fee Cortis

An excerpt from Bird of the Year: Twenty years of ruffled feathers. By Ellen Rykers

Nickname: The speedy skydiver 
Status: *In serious trouble. 

an early lead, the kārearea New Zealand falcon kept its talons firmly on the top spot and has snatched the crown in the 20th anniversary Bird of the Year competition. 

Make your vote count for conservation in this year's local elections, By Scott Burnett

A version of this story was first published in the Winter 2025 issue of Forest & Bird magazine.

The kārearea has kept its talons latched onto first place in the race to be crowned Bird of the Year 2025 – however the battle behind it is heating up. 

As part of its 20th anniversary celebration of Bird of the Year, Forest & Bird is excited to announce a new musical partnership to celebrate its annual avian election. 

In our Spring issue, we look at life on the Denniston Plateau through the eyes of scientists who study its unique plants and animals.

From Monday 15 September to Sunday 28 September, New Zealanders will once again flock online to vote for their favourite native birds, with the 2025 champion announced on Monday 29 September. 

First there was Wordle. Now there is Birdle NZ – a new version of the daily guessing game released by Forest & Bird as it celebrates two decades of the Bird of the Year.

Forest & Bird has lodged formal comments on two major projects that are seeking approval under the controversial new Fast-track Approvals Act: the Tekapo Power Scheme and the Waihi North gold mine. 

New Zealanders and their relationship with trees. By Michael Mansvelt

A version of this story was first published in the Winter 2025 issue of Forest & Bird magazine.

Forest & Bird is celebrating 20 years of Bird of the Year with the launch of a brand-new book. 

Conservation Minister Tama Potaka today announced the Government is progressing with its Modernising Conservation Land Management proposals, including a new National Conservation Policy Statement.