Tourism operators calling for new rules for national parks

Tourist operators say the rules governing national parks are so outdated that when a crisis like Covid-19 strikes and they need to adapt, they're hamstrung. Photo / 123RF

By Tess Brunton of RNZ

Tourist operators say the rules governing national parks are so outdated that when a crisis like Covid-19 strikes and they need to adapt, they're hamstrung.

A different set of rules - or management plans - governs each of the 13 national parks.

They are meant to outline how we protect our taonga but most were written more than a decade ago and the review process itself can take up to three years.

Of the 13 national parks around the country, only three have up-to-date rules approved by the Department of Conservation (DOC).

The rules are meant to be reviewed by DOC every 10 years.

The regulations for Aoraki Mt Cook are the only ones under review - the rest don't have one scheduled.

Fiordland National Park was due to be reviewed by 2017 but this has been delayed.

Manapouri Church Bar and Eatery owner Gyrth Sturley said the rules established in 2007 would not allow a cycle path between Manapouri and Te Anau to cross into the national park, forcing cyclists to return to the road for several kilometres.

"That is the biggest comment that comes through that they can't come the whole way through. And some say that if they have friends that could come through, they would have a lot more people coming through.

"That's really the main thing is by doing it, it would, I think just about doubled the people cycling to Manapouri from Te Anau."

Meanwhile in Abel Tasman National Park, plans for commercial mountain biking have been stymied under the 2008 rules.

Local businesses wanted to upgrade walking tracks for mountain biking or create new bike paths in the national park in a bid to attract more visitors to the region outside of peak tourist season.

Conservation Minister Kiri Allan. Photo / Samuel Rillstone

Abel Tasman AquaTaxis owner Brendan Alborn said it was frustrating to waste an opportunity that had backing from both DOC and businesses - simply because outdated rules were standing in the way.

"We're basically hamstrung, you know, we can't do it. It's frustrating knowing that this is potentially something that would attract a bunch of visitors when there literally is a couple of people on our coastal trek every day. There's no good reason that we can think of why mountain biking shouldn't be in the Abel Tasman including on the coastal track."

He wanted the rules to be updated into a living document so businesses did not have to wait years for changes to go through.

"Done rapidly and reflect the reality that we have in a fast moving world, whether it's a global pandemic or technology that's changing or people's interests that are changing. These things just seem to be kind of stuck in treacle in terms of, you know, the National Parks Act from 1980. I mean, it was 10 years old in 1980. And I'm sure the world was very different."

Conservation Minister Kiri Allan acknowledged the system was not working for businesses or DOC, and it needed to change.

"The fact that we have so many that are out of date or those that are coming into the system very shortly for review, the lags in terms of timing for the management plans, I find very concerning," she said.

"I think it creates a context where there is a lack of certainty for operators, and all users of public conservation lands that rely on concessions. So, you know, there's a reason why these plans are to be done in a timely manner, and that does recognise that the world changes and with that, the plans need to be able to be kept up. So I'm really disappointed with the way that management planning system is working right now.

"I'm very sympathetic to the views of those that are very frustrated with the management system as it stands. It's taking too long, it isn't being done in a timely way and the outcomes for all users create - in my view - confusion and uncertainty."

When she started as Conservation Minister, Allen said she did a stock take of all the conservation law and how it worked together.

"The reality is some of our planning documents go back to the 1930s. Much of the law is written over 40 years ago and then there's been a plethora of legislation in the past eight to 10 years that has really also impacted the way management planning can be undertaken on the conservation estate."

She has flagged a potential overhaul of conservation law, but said that would take time and her advisors were looking at quicker, interim solutions too.

"I've always been opposed to doing piecemeal reform. But sometimes I think it's appropriate to acknowledge that sometimes you need to put a few band aids on a broken system in order to get them functioning. So in my mind, conservation management planning is a part of that."

Allan has commissioned work to look at statutory reforms that could help to streamline the planning process.

She was expecting that advice to come back in the coming weeks.

- RNZ