More than 30,000 New Zealanders have backed a petition calling for the permanent protection of the Denniston Plateau, with Forest & Bird arguing the West Coast landscape is too ecologically significant to be opened up for further coal mining.
The petition is being delivered to Parliament by Forest & Bird Denniston campaign lead Scott Burnett, who says the plateau is home to globally important ecosystems and rare native species found nowhere else in the world. The conservation organisation is urging the Government to provide permanent protection for the area rather than allowing future mining proposals to proceed.
Burnett says the campaign is about safeguarding one of Aotearoa’s most unique natural environments for future generations.
The Denniston Plateau, located north of Westport, is internationally recognised for its ancient sandstone landscape, extensive wetlands and unique biodiversity. Despite its harsh appearance, the plateau supports a remarkable range of endemic plants and animals that have evolved in isolation over thousands of years.
Among the species highlighted by conservation advocates is the Denniston giant snail, along with a range of rare native invertebrates, mosses and alpine vegetation found only in the region. Conservationists say the plateau also provides habitat for threatened birds and insects, reinforcing its status as one of New Zealand’s most distinctive ecological landscapes.
The campaign comes as environmental protection continues to dominate national debate. Earlier this year, New Zealanders voted the striking “Avatar moth” as the country’s Bug of the Year, reflecting growing public interest in protecting native invertebrates and the ecosystems they depend on. Conservation groups say that heightened public awareness is also reflected in the strong support for the Denniston petition.
The petition arrives at a time when the Government is pursuing policies designed to increase resource development and economic growth, including reforms affecting mining and conservation land. Ministers have argued responsible resource extraction can coexist with environmental protection, while conservation organisations say irreplaceable ecosystems should remain off limits to development.
The campaign has also sparked debate on the West Coast itself. Some community leaders and industry representatives argue mining continues to play an important role in the regional economy, supporting employment and local businesses. Forest & Bird maintains the plateau’s environmental significance outweighs the economic case for further extraction, saying once these ecosystems are damaged they cannot be recreated.
The petition will now be presented to Parliament, where supporters hope it will encourage MPs to provide permanent legal protection for the plateau and recognise its national and international conservation value.
For Forest & Bird, the message is straightforward: some places are simply too precious to mine.
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