We've wrapped up our four-day High Court hearing challenging the government’s under-levying of the fishing industry. More science, research and observer coverage is needed to protect marine wildlife and ecosystems from the impacts of fishing. #oceans #conservation #sustainablefisheries

It is good to see the Ministry of Health is reviewing the health effects of nitrate in drinking water. Decisions allowing nitrogen wasted from farms to pollute water often lock in that pollution to continue for years, or even decades to come. #nitrates #freshwater www.rnz.co.nz/news/health/...

We are underway in the High Court this morning! "The Environmental Law Initiative says successive governments have failed to properly recover the costs of fisheries management, effectively creating a multimillion-dollar subsidy for the commercial fishing industry." www.thepost.co.nz/politics/361...

Next week, we are heading to the High Court in Wellington, to challenge the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries and the Minister of Conservation over critical cuts to the fisheries observer programme and the undersized levy charged to the fishing industry.

Vernon Rive, Associate Professor at Auckland Law School, was consulted by the Ministry of Justice ahead of Minister Paul Goldsmith's announcement that will outlaw tort-based climate litigation. He has now released the advice he provided the Govt. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic... #climate #nzpol

In the winter months, deep in the ocean a delicate romance occurs when the long-lived orange roughy assemble to spawn. In recent decades, orange roughy stocks have collapsed. www.eli.org.nz/updates/oran... #orangeroughy #marinelife

Will the proposed changes to the Climate Change Response Act breach NZ's obligations under international law? Oliver Hailes, writing for the Blog of the European Journal of International Law, suggests the answer is yes. buff.ly/V8ELueO

Briefing to the Minister of Justice: "We recommend that the reforms are applied prospectively in line with rule of law principles, the separation of powers, and the convention that legislation does not deprive litigants’ fruits of their victory. This would mean that Smith v Fonterra would continue."

Given the constitutional importance of open government, & the significance of Smith v Fonterra as a major public-interest climate case, we asked the Ombudsman to open an investigation - and today he has confirmed that he has. #nzpol #climate #smithvfonterra www.thepost.co.nz/politics/361...

We are calling for an Ombudsman inquiry & a Solicitor-General review into revelations that the Prime Minister’s Office has hidden significant lobbying by Fonterra & Z Energy that lead to the Government’s move to block Mike Smith’s climate case. www.1news.co.nz/2026/05/24/a... #nzpol #climate

"The government should reconsider its intention to amend climate laws to prevent lawsuits, according to an open letter signed by more than 100 lawyers, climate scientists and legal academics. #climate #nzpol www.rnz.co.nz/news/environ...

We are deeply concerned with the NZ Government’s announcement today that it plans to change the Climate Change Response Act to prevent courts from hearing claims about climate harm. www.eli.org.nz/updates/clim... #nzpol #climate #climatelitigation

Our Director, Research & Legal, Dr Matt Hall provided comment to Michael Morrah for this NZ Herald piece. #nzpol #oceans www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/shane-jon...

We gave a zero-star review. May not be our last. The Fisheries Amendment Bill: 🚩 Gives the Minister too much unchecked power 🚩 Removes environmental safeguards 🚩 Reduces public transparency and accountability You have until 11.59pm on Wed, 06 May 2026 to lodge a submission. #nzpol #oceans

As our sister org, NZ Penguin Initiative, highlights today: ‘‘Kororā are a taonga species, officially classified as at risk — declining, yet the government is still failing to properly address one of their most preventable causes of death: dog attacks.’’ Read: www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin... #penguins

Aotearoa NZ's marine mammal sanctuaries should be safe havens for marine mammals. But in the last 2 fishing years alone, 146 marine mammals were killed inside them. It's time for action. Sign the letter to the Minister of Conservation here: only.one/act/save-our... #dolphins #seals #oceans #nzpol

We have obtained new data showing 146 marine mammals, including numerous Hector’s dolphins, Dusky dolphins, & seals, have been killed inside Aotearoa NZ’s marine mammal sanctuaries in the past two fishing years. We're calling for action. www.eli.org.nz/updates/mari... #oceans #marinemammals #nzpol

It was only last year that we spelled out the detrimental impact bottom trawling has on the spawning grounds of orange roughy in the High Court (we're still waiting on the judgment).  It appears that Fisheries New Zealand now accepts that very basic notion, which is welcome progress.  #oceans

Instead of limiting public scrutiny of fisheries decisions, we would rather the Minister prioritise: 🔬Evidence‑based, precautionary decision‑making 🐟️ Environmental protection, and 👥 Transparent processes that allow for public scrutiny and accountability. newsroom.co.nz/2026/04/07/e... #nzpol

The ban on commercial spiny rock lobster fishing comes into effect today across the east coast of Northland. "Aotearoa NZ’s principal fisheries law should have prevented the overharvesting of kōura (#crayfish) & the related collapse of rocky shore ecosystems on the east coast of Te Tai Tokerau.

While the government has done a U-turn on scrapping minimum size limits for commercial fishers, there are bigger problems with the #Fisheries Amendment Bill. 🎣 We are deeply concerned that this bill systematically weakens sustainability provisions in the current Fisheries Act, including: #nzpol

In The Post: "Justice Boldt questioned senior Crown counsel Polly Higbee at length on the closing day of the hearing over whether the minister had the legally-required surety that the emissions plan would meet its target of reducing net carbon emissions by 305 million tonnes over the period.

We've wrapped up our 3-day hearing v Minister of Climate Change at the Wgtn High Court. Now we await the Court's decision. Thank you for all the support, from the ELI & Lawyers for Climate Action teams. Our final comments here: www.eli.org.nz/updates/clim... #nzpol #climatelitigation #climatechange

We're about to get underway for the third and final day of our hearing against the Minister of Climate Change. If you want to catch up on what happened in Court yesterday, this is a good summary from The Post. Thank you for all the support! #nzpol #climatelitigation #climate

The legal challenge to New Zealand’s ‘incoherent’ climate plan, explained

We're minutes away from getting underway at the High Court. Here's a good summary of what is at stake: www.rnz.co.nz/news/environ... Thank you for all the support! #climatelitigation

Next week, we’re heading to the High Court. ⚖️ Alongside Lawyers for Climate Action NZ, we’re taking the Minister of Climate Change to court over a deeply flawed strategy that we argue breaches the law and endangers Aotearoa NZ’s climate goals. (1/8) 🧵 #EnvironmentalLaw #ClimateActionNZ #Aotearoa

The countdown is on. With our friends Lawyers for Climate Action NZ, we’re taking the Minister of Climate Change to court for hitting delete on more than 35+ climate policies and having an “emissions reduction plan” that doesn’t actually reduce emissions (amongst other things). #ClimateLitigation

"This is the first case to challenge a government for relying on tree planting to meet climate obligations at the expense of actual emissions reductions. ..it could set a precedent to hold countries liable for how offsetting is used in climate plans and demand stronger action.  buff.ly/Ietl6zx

We're in the High Court next week against the Minister for Climate Change. Helpfully, The Detail have done a deep dive into what our case is about. We're taking the case jointly with our colleagues at Lawyers for Climate Action NZ. Well worth a listen or read. #nzpol #climatelitigation #climate

With just 10 days to go the team is busy-busy prepping for the hearing: ELI and Lawyers for Climate Action NZ v The Minister of Climate Change. The government’s Emissions Reduction Plan is dangerously inadequate. We urgently need a credible plan that takes action to actually reduce emissions.

The nitrate crisis isn’t just a Canterbury problem. Environment Southland has allowed waste from farming at levels now giving rise to widespread degradation of Southland's drinking water. Mary Williams from the ODT reports. buff.ly/9hKWKaP

Māui & Hector's Dolphin case update: After navigating some prolonged procedural matters, including the seafood industry insisting on joining as a respondent in the case, we now have a court date! #dolphins #conservation #MāuiDolphins #HectorsDolphins

This piece in The Press is a clear exposé of the way vested interests - the farming lobby, backed by the likes of the Taxpayers Union - directly undermine the public interest and our taiao. www.thepress.co.nz/.../pressure.... #nzpol #freshwater

The Government plans to replace the Resource Management Act with two Bills. As proposed, they would result in untenably weak environmental laws that could not feasibly endure. If the goal is to create an enduring system, the law must get fundamental #environmental protections right. #nzpol

The High Court judgment we received last week made landmark comments for hoiho - and other threatened marine wildlife. "If fishing can’t happen without risking their survival, it can’t happen at all." #hoiho #yelloweyedpenguin

We challenged the Minister of Oceans & Fisheries’ decision to only close some hoiho habitat to setnet fishing, when the entire population is at risk. While we were not successful on the grounds of our case, the judgment delivers powerful clarity on the Minister’s legal duties to protect #hoiho.

The Guardian has published a summary of major climate litigation wins around the world from 2025. It’s a good read, and a reminder that people around the world are holding governments and polluters to account for climate inaction. #climate www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Our thoughts go out to all families and communities impacted by the extreme weather events in recent days. As Jonathan Milne of Newsroom wrote, "..We need to talk about this today, not wait until the winds settle and the floodwaters drain away... #floods #nzpol #climatechange

With our joint climate case heading to the High Court in March, this is a timely op-ed from Jessica Palairet at Lawyers for Climate Action. Her wishlist for 2026? A credible plan, bipartisan collaboration, & a govt focused on actually cutting emissions — not just legal risk 🌏 buff.ly/gG3Ofho

Good write-up from David Williams on our ECan case and the wider story around freshwater in Canterbury. As far as genres go, this story is best described as a tragedy — a slow unravelling of protections, and a growing reliance on the courts to step in. buff.ly/tYirtNR #freshwater #Canterbury

The world's largest turtle migrates to Aotearoa NZ waters to feed over summer. We wrote to Conservation Minister Tama Potaka because NZ’s track record of catching leatherback turtles is alarming. He responded. We replied. #turtles #nzpol #conservation

Yesterday afternoon, we received the judgment on our case against Environment Canterbury. It's a doozy of a Christmas present. #nitrates #nzpol #freshwater Read the full piece at: www.eli.org.nz/updates/ecan...

Strong comments from the Supreme Court: "Climate change was "so obviously relevant" to a decision that could lead to the extraction and consumption of fossil fuels that it must be considered, the panel of five Supreme Court justices ruled. The full piece: www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa... #climate

We welcome the large closure announced today of the Northland spiny rock lobster fishery, a long‑overdue response to the ecological crisis across northeast Northland. It acknowledges that strong action is required to allow the crayfish to recover. More here: www.eli.org.nz/updates/cra-... #crayfish

"An elusive and nearly extinct precious bird of the South could be saved if the creep of farmland into vital wetland is reversed, Mary Williams of the ODT reports. Read the full piece at the link (paywall): #wetlands www.odt.co.nz/southland/we...

Final call: Today is the last day to make a submission on long-term measures to protect the wonderful hoiho. We have some key points you might want to include on our website. You can also take a read of our full 14-page submission don't mind getting into the legal/policy detail. buff.ly/gP9KiJn

RNZ interviews one of the New Zealand-based researchers responsible for the retraction of a major article on the safety of herbicide glyphosate, eight years after it was revealed in court to be ghostwritten by Monsanto employees. buff.ly/gBjL1gu

Update: The Minister for Oceans and Fisheries has just announced that the emergency ban on commercial set net fishing on the Otago Peninsula will be extended for a further 9 months.

Good piece from Waatea News about our High Court hoiho hearing. “In a statement released after the hearing, ELI’s senior legal advisor warned that the long-term proposal from Fisheries NZ is deeply flawed and insufficient to safeguard the hoiho.” buff.ly/eXwXKNz #hoiho #yelloweyedpenguin