The announcement was made at the National Party annual conference. Photo: Samuel Rillstone / RNZ
The government has announced plans to "unleash growth" on conservation land, granting more business opportunities and introducing entry fees for international visitors at four popular sites.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Conservation Minister Tama Potaka announced changes to the Conservation Act at the National Party Conference in Christchurch on Saturday.
Those changes would create more concessions - permission to operate a business - in tourism, agriculture and infrastructure.
Many businesses aleady ran on the conservation estate, including guided walks and skifields, filming documentaries, grazing sheep and cattle, hosting concerts and building cellphone towers, but Luxon said the concessions regime was "totally broken, often taking years to obtain or renew, and leaving businesses in a cycle of bureaucratic limbo".
Tama Potaka says initially, four sites will have charges for foreign visitors. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
He said the rules were outdated and the system would be changed to allow more jobs, growth and higher wages, with a "fresh wave" of new concessions made available.
Another change would see international visitors charged between $20-40 dollars to access four popular sites - Cathedral Cove, the Tongariro Crossing, Milford Sound and Aoraki Mount Cook.
The government estimated it would bring in $62 million a year in revenue to be re-invested in those same areas, Potaka said.
New Zealanders would not be charged, with Luxon saying: "It's our collective inheritance and Kiwis shouldn't have to pay to see it."
Speaking to media after the announcement, Potaka said some work was needed to determine whether someone was a foreign visitor or a New Zealander.
"When you go to the Auckland Domain Museum, you have to prove that you're an Aucklander, if you want a different price," he said. "Ditto, with the differential pricing with the great walks.
"People from overseas pay a little bit more for great walks than New Zealanders and there's different ways you can do that, with passports, birth certificates, all sorts."
If the charges at the four locations were successful, they could be rolled out at other locations, Potaka said.
Tourism stakeholders react
A tourism operator in one of the places earmarked for the foreign tourist fee - Cathedral Cove - said there were questions around the announcement.
"There are some people in favour of some sort of fee, but the main question is how it would be implemented," the operator told RNZ.
They did not want to be named until they could study the announcement in detail.
"There may be broad support, but it needs to be fair and it needs to be navigated," they said.
Cathedral Cove operators were watching with a great deal of interest.
"I'm not opposed to the idea completely, because it's been proven in years gone by that we need money for infrastructure and there's been a shortage of money in places like this, where there is high demand.
"If this can be done in a simple way, then great, but I think the big question is how it will be done," they said.
The operator said it was good New Zealanders would not pay the fee, given the high number of Aucklanders who go to Cathedral Cove for day trips.
Ruapehu District mayor Weston Kirton said he welcomed the prospect of the extra charge, but the money must be spread fairly.
"Tongariro Crossing is a magnet for a lot of people coming from overseas," he told RNZ. "There are huge numbers in the summertime.
"I think this is a responsible way of actually addressing some of the urgent needs that we've got in our DOC estates, and our facilities and amenities, whereby the local people are having to pay for the infrastructure that we provide for overseas visitors.
"By having a levy, it will help us develop, not only the existing amenities, but perhaps improve on the many amenities that we need for our visitors in the future."
He said maintaining camping grounds and toilets, and managing rubbish cost money.
"The rubbish they leave behind, believe it or not, is a taxation on the local people," the mayor said.
Kirton hoped the money would not be spread and re-invested based on the local population numbers.
"We wouldn't get our share. I think it needs to be on the volume of visitors that come into the area for obvious reasons.
"The more people that come in there, the more damage or amenities we need to create, so I hope that it's done fairly in that respect."
Kirton said the council should also get some of the money taken from foreign visitors to the Tongariro Crossing.
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