Foreign visitors will soon need to pay a charge to access some of New Zealand’s most famous tourist destinations on conservation land, the Government announced today.
It was also announced that concessions would be widened to allow for more business activity on conservation land.
The charges announced today would mean foreign tourists visiting Cathedral Cove / Te Whanganui-a-Hei, Tongariro Crossing, Milford Track, and Aoraki Mount Cook would need to pay between $20 and $40 per person. New Zealanders would not be charged for access.
Conservation Minister Tama Potaka said foreigners made up 80% of all visitors at the destinations.
He estimated the charges could make up to $62 million a year in revenue, which would be directly reinvested into those same areas.
“Tourists make a massive contribution to our economy, and no one wants that to change,” Potaka said.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said sites that were “truly special” to Kiwis needed to be protected, and said the charges would give the Department of Conservation more support.
“But I have heard many times from friends visiting from overseas their shock that they can visit some of the most beautiful places in the world for free.”
Luxon said it would create more economic opportunities out of underutilised Department of Conservation land.
The charge would be similar to the cost of admission for international visitors to the Auckland War Memorial Museum, where an adult currently paid $32 and child, aged between five and 15, paid $16.
Alongside the charges, the Government also announced widening concessions, for businesses to operate on conservation land.
“We’re going to fix the Conservation Act to unlock more economic activity through concessions – like tourism, agriculture, and infrastructure, in locations where that makes sense,” Luxon said
“That means more certainty for businesses, less bureaucracy, and much faster decisions, so the businesses that should be operating can get up and running.”
Luxon said there would still be restrictions to protect the natural environment. “Of course it won’t make sense for businesses to be operating on every part of the DOC estate,” he said. “But where it does make sense, we need to get to the ‘yes’ much faster – instead of being bogged down in process and uncertainty.”
Luxon said the current concessions scheme was “totally broken”, saying it often took years to obtain or renew, “leaving businesses in a cycle of bureaucratic limbo”.
“Outdated rules mean we’ve got examples of modern e-bike users being turned away from potential touring opportunities because they have to be considered as proper vehicles.
“And tourism on the Routeburn is being held up because the trail crosses artificial boundaries, with different rules and different limits.”
