The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy’s mission is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. Every hectare of land and ocean we protect, every kilometre of river we restore, every species we help bring back from the brink, begins with you! Your support and partnership can make a lasting difference in protecting and restoring New Zealand’s natural environment, so please join us today!

In Aotearoa New Zealand we are blessed with beautiful landscapes, from glaciers to fiords, mountains to plains, farmland to beaches, rolling hillsides to subtropical forests, subtropical and sub-Antarctic islands, and even active volcanic and thermal areas. Our beef and dairy production are known the world over; our fertile plains are home to productive farmlands; and our waters sustain rich fisheries. Did you know our islands are home to 80,000 endemic species found nowhere else in the world?

Yet today our natural habitats are suffering the dire consequences of climate change and unsustainable use of our natural resources. Runoff from the growing agricultural and dairy sectors has impacted waterways across the country. Intensive fishing operations and soil erosion have degraded shellfish beds that once cleaned water and provided abundant fish habitat in New Zealand’s bays and harbours. Almost two-thirds of our rare ecosystems are threatened by collapse and almost 4,000 of our native species are currently threatened with or at risk of extinction. Nowhere is the loss of biodiversity more pronounced than in Aotearoa New Zealand; we have the highest proportion of threatened indigenous species in the world. We are losing species and ecosystems faster than nearly any other country.

You can help by partnering with The Nature Conservancy (TNC). We work with local communities, indigenous leaders, government, businesses and local conservation groups to restore and preserve our precious land, oceans, rivers, natural resources, and plants and wildlife. In the Hauraki Gulf, we’re restoring shellfish reefs that have been damaged by decades of sediment runoff, trawler fishing and extensive dredging. If we succeed in rescuing these reefs, they will help clean our waters and restore underwater habitats that local marine life and commercially valuable fish species depend on. Healthy reefs will also help protect our shores from storm surges, erosion and rising seas.

We are also introducing innovative approaches to improve the health of our rivers and are part of an inspiring and ambitious new initiative to restore the health of over 2.5 million hectares of land and water across the South Island.

Never far from our minds are the original stewards of Aotearoa, who are our partners in the work we do here. For centuries the Māori people governed these epic lands, rivers and coastlines through Kaitiakitanga—an intricate cultural system founded on the belief that we are all guardians of nature, not mere consumers of its bounty. Guided by Māori in applying the principle of Kaitiakitanga, TNC is partnering with people like YOU to protect and restore New Zealand’s nature—for the health and wellbeing of people, plants and wildlife alike.

Please join us in helping Aotearoa NZ preserve and restore our once pristine natural resources.