New Zealand’s lizards are found in a wide range of habitats, including urban and agricultural environments where many species are vulnerable to habitat loss and direct mortality caused by land use activities. Despite legal protection of all native lizard species under the Wildlife Act, land use presents an ongoing threat to population and species survival. In practice, lizards are often overlooked in planning processes, their losses unquantified, and the outcomes of mitigation measures uncertain. This article identifies four key issues driving inadequate protection and argues that legislative reform, stronger compliance, and better awareness among developers and those who advise them is urgently needed to safeguard lizard populations from decline.