Tourism Industry Aotearoa is pleased the Minister of Conservation is taking the first steps to address long-standing problems in conservation law.
Minister Kiritapu Allen has announced a roadmap that sets out a workplan for the next four years to modernise conservation legislation. The first action is a review of the Wildlife Act.
TIA chief executive Chris Roberts agrees with Allen that New Zealand’s conservation legislative framework is not fit for purpose, with a complex web of 24 Acts, developed on an ad-hoc basis over a span of nearly 70 years.
"It's not going to be an easy task to modernise the legislative framework but it is important to get started.
"It is also good news that the Department of Conservation is being asked to get going now on making improvements to its concession and planning systems. Simplifying the concession processes would alleviate many of the pressures and frustrations faced by tourism operators. And the planning system isn’t facilitating activities that local communities support, like mountain biking.
"TIA agrees with the Minister that it is vital that we ensure conservation legislation and processes are up to date, enduring and reflective of our values. Conservation, recreation and tourism can all co-exist happily if we get the framework right."
TIA will be working with concession holders and other tourism operators to have input into the review processes.
