The International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) is a $100 levy charged to most international visitors to New Zealand. It helps fund projects and activities that support conservation and tourism across New Zealand.
Each year $55 million is allocated to conservation projects through an investment plan. The plan lists the projects along with the funding they will receive that year.
DOC provides advice on which projects should be funded. The plan is approved by the Minister of Conservation, Minister of Finance, and Minister for Tourism and Hospitality.
2026/27 projects and funding
- Biodiversity related projects: $31.96 million (58.1%)
- Visitor related projects: $21.54 million, (39.2%)
- Support and administration, $1.5 million (2.7%)
| Initiative | Purpose | Investment in 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| Working with others | ||
| Raukūmara Pae Maunga restoration | Pest and ungulate control to restore Raukūmara ecosystems | $2m |
| Te Arawa Lakes Trust | Freshwater restoration | $250k |
| Landscape-scale pest plant management | ||
| Tongariro Maunga Ora | Recovery of Tongariro National Park after the 2025 wildfires | $900k |
| Wilding conifer management | Wilding conifer removal to protect iconic landscapes and ecosystems | $10m |
| Key weed pressure management at popular places | Weed control at popular places, key ecosystems and threatened species sites | $270k |
| Landscape-scale threat management | ||
| Browser management at popular places | Deer, goat, pig and wallaby control to restore native forest understory | $440k |
| Predator control mast response | Protect native species during the 2026 beech mast through landscape-scale possum, rat and stoat control at popular visitor sites | $14.1m |
| Threatened species and ecosystems | ||
| Whangamarino wetland restoration | Restoration of the Whangamarino Wetland Ramsar Site | $1m |
| Kākāpō habitat expansion | Population growth and a pathway for kākāpō to return to the mainland | $500k |
| Increasing populations of threatened and iconic species | Recovery of threatened terrestrial and marine animals and plants in national parks and popular visitor sites | $500k |
| Predator Free Auckland | Enabling Auckland to be a place where native species and communities thrive | $2m |
| Initiative | Purpose | Investment in 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| Managing visitor sites under pressure | ||
| Enhance service levels at popular places | To ensure service levels at busy international visitor sites meet expectations, enabling revenue to be maximised | $3m |
| Wasp Wipeout | Volunteer wasp control at busy sites, including Great Walks and Te Araroa Trail | $540k |
| Respond to storm damage | Storm repairs to keep busy visitor sites open and maximise revenue | $2m |
| Improvements to the visitor network | ||
| Mountain to Sea Cycle Trail | Construction of Te Ara Mangawhero and Te Hangaruru sections | $8m |
| Tarawera Trail | Iwi-led delivery with DOC of 22 km of trail and Tapahoro campground | $1m |
| Te Araroa Trail Trust | Longwoods Forest Boardwalk, Whangaehu swing bridge and Queenstown–Glenorchy preconstruction planning | $500k |
| Piopiotahi / Milford Opportunities Project | Plan and implement proposed changes for Piopiotahi | $1m |
| Track counter improvement | Low-cost telemetry for accurate, real-time visitor data | $500k |
| Smart sensor network to improve insights | Smart sensors and remote AI monitoring for visitor insights, services and pricing | $500k |
| Enhance the visitor journey with improved technology and visitor centres | Digital and visitor-centre information for suitable experiences, safety and operator connections | $500k |
| Increased revenue generation | ||
| Access charging | Implementation design for international visitor access charging | $1m |
| Paid parking expansion | More delivery capacity to introduce paid parking at more sites sooner | $2m |
| Revenue + donation collection | Cost-effective technology for revenue and donations, building on pilot lessons | $1m |
| Initiative | Purpose | Investment in 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| Support and administration | Advice, accounting, monitoring, project management and support to administer and allocate IVL funding. | $1.5m |
More information
For more information about the IVL, including annual performance reports, visit the MBIE website: International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy .