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Federated Farmers has cautiously welcomed National’s campaign promise to reset International Levy spending but says the details will determine its support.
Federated Farmers conservation spokesperson Richard Dawkins says New Zealand is in desperate need of more investment in conservation and tourism.
“The International Visitor Levy (IVL) is a great mechanism to help fund some of those initiatives but there hasn’t always been full transparency about where that money goes,” he says.
“Agriculture is New Zealand’s largest export earner, and tourism is number two, but we still have serious issues with weeds, pests and underfunded regional infrastructure.”
In its policy priorities for the 2026 General Election, Federated Farmers has called for all IVL funding to be spent on tourism and conservation projects.
The organisation says the levy should fund new work rather than replace existing government funding for current services.
“We’ve seen some great use of the IVL in the last few months that will really help control wilding pines and pests like deer, but that hasn’t always been the case,” Dawkins says.
“The levy raised around $230 million last year, but unfortunately only $90 million of that funding was used for its intended purpose of funding new discretionary initiatives.
“Just $55 million dollars was invested in new conservation projects and $35 million in tourism – the remaining $140 million was used to replace existing Crown spending.
“That’s simply not good enough when we have significant conservation challenges with wilding pines and an out-of-control pest problem that urgently needs more funding,” he says.
Dawkins says the levy could be a game changer for farmers and conservationists if it adds to the Department of Conservation’s existing funding.
If it simply replaces existing funding, he says it will make no difference for farmers or the environment.
Federated Farmers has written to National’s conservation spokesperson Tama Potaka seeking more details about the policy.
