The New Zealand Walking Access Commission has produced a draft report for consultation on public access to the outdoors in and around the South Island High Country.
The Commission is the Crown entity responsible for public access to the outdoors, and in particular for access across private land, and access that crosses multiple land tenures (e.g. mixes of private, Government, local authority and/or Māori land).
The South Island High Country includes the Mackenzie Country down to Queenstown and across to the Waitaki and Central Otago.
Through its work on the ground helping to create new access and resolving access disputes, the Commission began to hear concerning messages about the potential for withdrawal of access to private land by landholders in the area due to the problems and pressures created by increasing numbers of tourists.
The report is a qualitative look at people’s experiences who who live, work and play in the area. The report is based on 36 hours of meetings with 55 people, from May – August 2017.
If you wish to express a view, you can do so here by taking the Commission’s Survey. They are interested in knowing if there are any issues they have missed, what the opportunities are for the region and potential solutions. The Consultation closes on 15 April 2018.