Greenpeace campaigner Gen Toop says, "The Government wants to make it easier to commercially exploit and sell off public conservation land, at the same time that it is pursuing an aggressive mining push. This map helps connect the dots."

"Our map shows that some of Aotearoa's most irreplaceable and world-renowned areas sit above minerals that mining corporations would no doubt love to plunder. These places are at even greater risk now because of this egregious Bill."

"Once ancient forests are bulldozed and dug up, mountains blasted apart and rivers polluted by toxic mine drainage, we cannot get those precious ecosystems back."

The Conservation Amendment Bill would change the purpose of the Conservation Act, and make it easier to sell off or exchange around five million hectares, 60 percent of the conservation estate.

If the bill passes, DOC would be directed to enable commercial exploitation "to the greatest extent practicable" on all conservation land. The same commercial exploitation mandate is drafted into the purpose architecture of the Conservation Act, and would guide conservation planning documents.

"This Conservation Exploitation Bill is the final and most despicable assault in the Luxon Government’s war on nature. From start to finish the Bill is rotten to its core. It must be thrown out immediately" says Toop.

"Public conservation land must be protected for nature, for wildlife, and for future generations - not opened up to mining corporations or sold off to a billionaire to lock behind a private gate."

Greenpeace says the Government's aggressively pro-mining track record provides important context for the proposed reforms. In its term the Government has: set a target of doubling the value of minerals exports by 2035, brought in the Fast-track Act, loosened environmental protections over mining on wetlands and biodiversity hotspots, invited mining lobbyists into the halls of power for a roundtable and is currently negotiating a minerals deal with the United States.

The Prime Minister has publicly stated that his intention with the Conservation Amendment Bill is to "unleash economic growth" on public conservation land, while Minister for Resources Shane Jones has said the conservation estate is too big, and we should "exploit part of that."

"The Coalition Government has completely misjudged how much New Zealanders, from all walks of life, love public conservation land," says Toop.

"The last time a National-led Government threatened to mine New Zealand’s most highly protected conservation land, tens of thousands of people took to the streets and forced them to back down. We’ve defended conservation land before, and we will do it again."

Greenpeace is currently encouraging people to make a submission on the Bill before the consultation deadline on July 2 and has released a submission guide to support people to do so.