Our Vision: We want to create a country where we are admired by the world not just because of our wonderful natural environment, but because of the way we live. A way of life that protects and enhances that environment.
Valuing our connection to nature and the outdoors
The NZ Outdoors Party is concerned that recent governments have not valued our Outdoors Culture or the importance of New Zealanders being and feeling connected with nature and having ready access to our Outdoors.
Access to and connection with the Great Outdoors for a range of activities is fundamental to our New Zealand culture. The Great Outdoors is what makes New Zealand special and unique.
Sustaining our native species
We recognise that our native species need suitable habitat to thrive.
We will research the limiting factor for survival of critical native species and develop optimal holistic solutions to help these species thrive.
We will encourage trapping and other non-poison related solution to manage predators whilst encouraging use of possum fur and meat.
Access to beaches and wild places
Free access to our beaches, forests, rivers and great outdoors is important for our physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing.
Our wild places provide fresh air, clean water to help New Zealanders and our environment to thrive.
The NZ Outdoors Party is concerned that recent governments have not valued our Outdoors Culture or the importance of New Zealanders being and feeling connected with nature and having ready access to our Outdoors.
Replace DOC with Dept of Outdoors Wildlife, Recreation & Nature
We will Replace the Department of Conservation with a new Department of Outdoors – Wildlife, Recreation and Nature (“DOWRN pronounced DAWN”).
The purpose of DOWRN is to
a) Encourage New Zealanders to get Outdoors and enjoy a range of activities for physical, mental and spiritual well-being including for fun, recreation, education and relaxation.
b) Promote public access to the Outdoors including all public land, coastal marine and rivers;
c) Promote the conservation of rivers, forests, other natural habitats and wildlife using a holistic approach so natural ecosystems can thrive free from poisons or other contamination and so we and our children can in future safely drink water from wild streams.
d) To encourage food gathering for personal, whanau and educational purposes from public land.
e) Provide places for different potentially conflicting Outdoors activities, by developing an Outcomes for Places approach so people can help decide and then enjoy different the character of different locations.
f) Make provision for commercial activities when these commercial activities will not adversely affect wildlife or public use and enjoyment.
g) Ensure early and comprehensive public engagement in decisions which may affect public access to or use of public land including consideration of alternative approaches.
h) Ensure information about public resources, and their management is made publicly available at the earliest opportunity;
i) Ensure that all decisions are made in the public interest and in accordance with good governance and sound principles of public law.
j) Provide a framework for statutory entities such as Fish and Game, tangata whenua, and community interests such as CORANZ and other recreational and commercial users and local landowners to whiteboard strategies and solutions to promote these policies and at all times acting in the public interest.
The philosophy of Outdoors Party is that all the policies work together and do not compete either with our intent or other policies. Ultimately we want what you want – a healthy vibrant natural environment with thriving native species but with space for humans to enjoy, participate and benefit.
The Nature Defence Force – supporting rural and poison-free New Zealand
We want to create a “Nature Defence Force” – of thousands of fit, young (and not so young!) kiwi men and women who are trained to manage themselves and others in the bush, trained in start of the art pest management, and safety and bush craft. This could be a direct pathway out of school, particularly for those who love the outdoors and can’t imagine themselves stuck in an office, traffic or city.
Our Nature Army would be a pathway into conservation starting with a practical and intensive training in fitness, mountain and bush safety, camping and cooking, technology such as GPS, firearm safety, people and managerial skills. There are already hundreds of skilled people in New Zealand who would fit into the Nature Army as trainers and support networks. There are already hundreds of practical solutions to aerial 1080 poisoning that have been shared for decades – it’s time to gather them up and put them into practise – as well as keeping an open mind for new ideas.
Being poison free means that we can make New Zealand conservation a tourist attraction – for locals and foreigners alike – to spend time in our spectacular bush doing great work and learning, as others might pay for the privilege of going to Mexico to build houses. With the right infrastructure and fee structure, we can invite supporters of conservation into the special places of rural New Zealand that they might otherwise not go to, for a holiday of a life-time supporting our efforts to protect our native species.
Poisons Policy. https://outdoorsparty.co.nz/poisons-policy/
