About this consultation 

Te Papa Atawhai the Department of Conservation (DOC) is the lead government agency for the conservation system and manages roughly a third of New Zealand’s land mass. On behalf of all New Zealanders DOC protects iconic landscapes, nature and heritage. The Government faces a number of challenges in funding and managing these places:

• the current charging system is unfair and complicated
• costs are rising across the conservation system
• international visitor numbers are increasing, putting pressure on public conservation land.

Currently, many visitors do not contribute towards public conservation land they visit. Overseas, access charges are a commonly used to fund conservation work. Legislation does not allow the Government to charge for access in New Zealand.  

The Government is thinking about charging visitors a fair price to access some public conservation land, where it makes sense to do so. Charging for access would support a fairer charging system by allowing Government to charge for short walks and day hikes.

This work is part of the Government’s Revenue Action Plan for Conservation.

Discussion document

Discussion document (PDF, 2,272K)

This discussion document seeks your feedback on whether access charges for some public conservation land should be introduced, including:  

• who should pay
• where access charges could be used
• how the funding could be invested.   

The Government’s proposal seeks to ensure that Tiriti o Waitangi / Treaty of Waitangi partners can continue to fulfil their roles as kaitiaki and exercise tikanga.

How to make a submission

Submissions closed 5 pm Friday 28 February 2025.

Presentation

You can find more information about the Government’s proposal to explore charging for access to some public conservation land in the presentation below. 

Exploring charging for access to some conservation land presentation (PDF, 2,306K)

Supporting Cabinet papers and advice 

You can find the Minister of Conservation’s Cabinet papers and related advice supporting this proposal below. Some information has been withheld consistent with the Official Information Act 1982.

• Exploring charging for access to some public conservation and: Approval to consult - Cabinet paper and Cabinet committee minute (PDF, 1,130K)
• Growing third-party revenue for conservation - Cabinet paper, Cabinet committee minute and associated advice (PDF, 4,353K)
• Conservation priorities - Cabinet paper and Cabinet committee minute (PDF, 1,781K)
• Financial sustainability review international comparison (Allen & Clarke) (PDF, 23,571K)

Contact

Direct any questions regarding this consultation to accesschargingconsultation@doc.govt.nz