Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Illegal Rotorua operators feel the sting from the Department of Conservation

Rotorua Daily Post
7 May, 2019 07:02 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Rotorua businesses making a living off conservation land are coming under heat. Photo / File

Rotorua businesses making a living off conservation land are coming under heat. Photo / File

Commercial businesses making a living off conservation land at the taxpayers' expense are coming under heat.

Since the beginning of the year, rangers from the Department of Conservation (DoC) have made multiple visits to tourist hot spots around Rotorua to check tour operators have a valid permit to operate.

Spot checks have been completed at Okere Falls, Wai-O-Tapu, Kakaramea/Rainbow Mountain and Tarawera Landing.

DoC supervisor Caraline Abbott said any commercial operation on public conservation land required a permit (concession). This included commercial guiding of tourists and grazing farm animals.

"Essentially, unauthorised commercial operators are making a living at the taxpayers' expense, they're gaining reward – usually financial - through the use of public amenities and not giving back to the upkeep of the area they've been using to conduct their business," Abbott said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Before authorisation is given to use public lands we assess their activity based on environmental impact and potential disruption to the public. Once a permit is issued there are usually ongoing fees which either go to tangata whenua or the government and can be used in the upkeep of the area."

Abbott said if cultural or environmental concerns became evident, operating conditions could be imposed on the permit holder to make sure any effects were mitigated.

"The amount of public land that is managed by DoC is immense and we can't have eyes everywhere but we've been actively monitoring operators in popular tourist areas.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Overall the percentage of operators complying with the conditions of their concession has been pleasingly high. Unauthorised operators have been applying for the appropriate concession and one operator is facing legal action as a repeat offender."

Authorised DoC concessionaire David Walmsley from Totally Tarawera said the concession process provided safeguards to ensure all operators on DoC-managed land met certain criteria and there were good principles involved in looking after the land.

"Also, the fees go toward the upkeep and improvement of the areas we use to operate our business so that has got to be good.

"It's a positive promotion for us to show we have a DoC concession," Walmsley said.

Discover more

Rotorua swimmers tackle nationals

06 May 11:00 PM
New Zealand

The man jailed for murdering James Fleet will appeal next month

06 May 02:40 AM

Two dog attacks days apart leave one hospitalised

06 May 02:01 AM

Councillors get sneak peak of Hemo sculpture

07 May 04:12 AM

A list of approved DoC operators and information on the concessions process can be found at www.DOC.govt.nz.

DoC encourages members of the public to report suspicious or illegal activity to the 24-hour hotline 0800 DOC HOT.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

11 Jul 05:00 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Pair deny charges over death of Paige Johnson in alleged hit-and-run

11 Jul 12:26 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

10 Jul 11:07 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

11 Jul 05:00 AM

Mark 'Shark' Hohua died in June 2022 after a violent assault over money.

Pair deny charges over death of Paige Johnson in alleged hit-and-run

Pair deny charges over death of Paige Johnson in alleged hit-and-run

11 Jul 12:26 AM
Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

10 Jul 11:07 PM
Heavy rain warning issued for Bay of Plenty, up to 140mm expected

Heavy rain warning issued for Bay of Plenty, up to 140mm expected

10 Jul 10:57 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP