On 19 September 2026, tens of thousands of people gathered in Auckland to march down Queen Street to stand up for nature and defend conservation land.
Together, we sent a message to this Government that was impossible to ignore: hands off conservation land!
People came together from all walks of life prepared to unite, to take to the streets and stand together to protect the places and wildlife we love. Thousands of people who want the rivers, oceans, climate and conservation land of this beautiful country protected, not exploited.
The Conservation Amendment Bill would make it easier to exploit and even sell off public conservation land. From forests and wetlands to rivers, coastlines and mountain ranges, the places that belong to Aotearoa are under threat.
Together, we sent a message to this Government that was impossible to ignore: Hands off conservation land!
We’d like to acknowledge everyone who joined, who helped bring people along, and all the volunteers who helped make it happen on the day.
We’d like to thank the speakers from Ngāti Whatua Ōrākei, Coromandel Watchdog, Anti War Aotearoa, Aotearoa Climate Action Network, and Mike Smith, who addressed us at the start of the march. A special thanks to Tipene who performed at the end of the event.
We’d especially like to thank the Kaiāwhina marshalling group who kept us all safe on the day.
The march was massive. Now let’s keep the pressure on to make sure the Conservation Amendment Bill does not make it into law in the next Parliamentary term.
This election on 7 November 2026, vote with the environment and nature in mind. Make sure you’re enrolled to vote before 25 October, and encourage friends and whānau too!