Northland walks part of 100km of closed tracks

DIEBACK: Kauri dieback has seen the closure of at least two Department of Conservation walking tracks in Northland in recent years. PHOTO/FILE

Northland walks are among more than 100km of Department of Conservation tracks closed to the public since the National Party took office in 2008, with kauri dieback behind some of the closures.

Conservation Minister Maggie Barry says the closures should be considered alongside the significant additions to DOC's network of tracks over the same period.

Ms Barry has released lists of DOC tracks, structures and huts which have either been closed or are not up to standard.

Tracks with portions closed in Northland included Middle Waipapa River Track, Harrison Reserve Track in Opua, Logues Bush Track near Wellsford, and Rickers Track in Waipoua Forest.

Rickers Track has been listed as closed since 2014, due to a large tree fall and it remained closed due to kauri dieback disease. The Logues Bush Track closure was also because of kauri dieback.

Major slips along much of Harrison Reserve Track had also closed the track in 2008 and the cost of an upgrade was considered to outweigh its value.

Takapau Track at Puketi, closed in 2008, hadn't met funding criteria for an upgrade. Middle Waipapa River Track also at Puketi, closed in 2014 needed multiple bridges to meet safety standards and also hadn't met funding criteria. Sections of Waipoua Coastal tramping track had been closed in 2012 because they were not on land administered by DOC.

Green Party conservation spokesman Kevin Hague said the lists also showed 1085 DOC structures nationwide did not meet required service standards, and almost half of all tracks were not up to scratch.

In all, 38 structures had serious work tasks outstanding, 85 failed barrier assessments, 168 failed load capacity assessments, and another 85 were closed.

Mr Hague said every region would be able to look at the list and see local problems.

"New Zealanders have to ask themselves, is it acceptable for that proportion of our tracks, and our huts and our structures and our species to not be meeting the standards that have been set for them? I suspect the answer is no."

A lot of people had worked over many years to make sure back country tracks and huts were available. For them to be discontinued or closed was a concern.

Mr Hague said his biggest concern was the structures such as viewing platforms which were overdue for repair or unassessed. "The reason you have the standard is to ensure that adverse events are extremely unlikely."

In Parliament this week, Ms Barry said 50 tracks nationwide had been closed since 2008, often because of unavoidable natural hazards. She said more than 400 tracks and more than 1000 extra kilometres had been added to DOC's network over the same period.

Ms Barry said about a third of the work on the structures in serious or critical need of work had been completed within the past month with the rest scheduled to be finished by November.

She said the bridges in need of repairs were part of a work schedule being carried out. She said something as small as a missing brush meant a hut sometimes did not meet its service standards.