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January 29, the Department of Conservation (DOC) held the first of two webinars to discuss the Government’s proposal to charge for access to some public conservation land including the proposed introduction of access charges.
The webinar provided industry leaders an opportunity to engage with DOC representatives, and understand some of the rationale, challenges, and potential impacts of these proposed changes.
Currently, DOC receives about $85 million annually from third-party contributions, which break down as follows:
$25 million from visitor facility fees
$27 million from concessionaires (with $17 million specifically from tourism)
$31 million from the International Visitor Levy at the $35 rate, which has recently increased.
Despite this, rising costs, environmental degradation, and visitor pressure continue to strain the system. Sam Harrison, senior policy advisor at DOC emphasised that access charges could help fill the funding shortfall and ensure that those benefiting from conservation land contribute their fair share.
The Case for Access Charges
Access charges, widely used in international jurisdictions, would enable DOC to charge visitors a fee for entry to certain areas, such as national parks or heavily trafficked tracks. Potential forms include per-person fees, vehicle fees, day passes, or annual passes. Harrison shared that charging a $20 access fee at five high-traffic sites could potentially raise up to $70 million annually, although this estimate does not account for compliance or administrative costs.
The proposal aims to address several challenges:
Complicated and inconsistent charging system: Current charges vary regionally and across legislative frameworks, leading to perceived unfairness.
Rising costs due to climate change and biodiversity loss: Extreme weather events, such as Cyclone Gabrielle, have caused significant infrastructure damage. Harrison highlighted that $87 million would be needed over five years to repair such damage.
Pressure from international visitors: With 3.2 million international visitors annually, popular sites like Tongariro Alpine Crossing and Aoraki/Mt. Cook are under severe strain.
One of the critical questions posed during the webinar was how access charges could be designed to maintain accessibility while supporting revenue generation. Responding to this concern, Sam says
“One of the objectives that we are advising on as part of this work is, how do we maintain accessibility? Because, obviously, that’s one of the core drivers behind public conservation land—the public needs to be able to access it. In terms of that balancing act, it’s thinking about how the facilities facilitate access. So how can we ensure that we have appropriate facilities that are appropriately funded to do that, at the same time as ensuring that we aren’t putting financial barriers or inappropriate financial barriers in front of people accessing public conservation land?”
He noted that discounts and exemptions, widely used internationally, could mitigate potential barriers for low-income groups, families, and other disadvantaged groups.
“If you have ideas and thoughts on particular groups that you think should be treated or charged differently, we’d be really keen to know your thoughts on that and how you think a system could identify and work its way through that. We’re quite conscious that, at the same time, we’re looking to create something that’s easy to understand, simple to run, but has some of that flexibility.”
Dynamic Pricing and Other Considerations
Another question touched on the potential use of dynamic pricing to manage demand during peak periods.
Sam says “It’s definitely something that we have looked at in terms of our regular facilities that we charge for at the moment, thinking about how we can spread demand more evenly. I think it’s something that will need more thought if access charges progress. If you think it works well overseas and have examples, we’d be keen to hear that in submissions.”
Addressing concerns regarding the complexity of managing multiple fees, such as community contribution charges already in place at some sites, Sam says “At the moment, some of you will be aware that we have things like community contribution fees, such as the $3 per person charge at Tongariro Alpine Crossing. If access charges are introduced, we’d have to ensure that we’re not double-charging visitors through overlapping fees. The details of how the system would work haven’t been worked through yet, as we’re still at the initial consultation stage.”
Next Steps
While no decisions have been made regarding the specific locations or fee structures, DOC says that community engagement would be key to the process. Criteria for selecting sites include areas facing unsustainable visitor pressure, high biodiversity, or significant international visitation.
The second webinar, scheduled January 31 will provide another opportunity for parties to share feedback. Meanwhile, DOC encourages the public to submit ideas on how best to design access charges, ensure fairness, and direct the generated revenue effectively.
The discussion document is available on DOC’s website, and submissions remain open through the public consultation period.
