The Department of Conservation manages huge tracts of Southland land and the Government is proposing changes around how it’s managed to unleash growth and create jobs.

Many local people already run outstanding businesses on our conservation estate – from guided walks and boat rides, to grazing sheep and cattle.

But to do any of that, you need a concession – concessions are permits that allow non-conservation activities to happen on conservation land, such as commercial tourism and recreation, or infrastructure maintenance of pipes or electricity pylons.

Unfortunately, the regime is broken meaning it can often take years to obtain or renew concessions, often leaving businesses in a cycle of bureaucratic limbo.

For instance, tourism on the Routeburn is being held up because the trail crosses artificial boundaries, with different rules and different limits.

We want to fix the Conservation Act to simplify the process and unleash a fresh wave of concessions – like tourism, agriculture, and infrastructure, in locations where that makes sense.

This is about reducing red tape and generating revenue, while identifying and strengthening protection of high-value conservation areas.

At the same time, sites that are truly special to New Zealanders should be protected so we are giving DOC more support by introducing a charge for foreign visitors to access high volume sites.

Initially this would involve four locations – Milford Sound, Aoraki Mount Cook, Cathedral Cove and Tongariro Crossing – where foreign tourists often make up 80 percent of all visitors.

It’s only fair that overseas visitors make an additional contribution, of between $20 and $40 per person, at these special locations.

For the conservation estate that will mean up to $62 million per year in revenue, which will be directly re-invested into those same areas, so we can keep investing in the sites that underpin so much of our tourism sector,

At the same time, there will be no charge for New Zealanders to access the conservation estate.

These proposals are about unleashing growth on conservation land in the South, at the same time protecting and enhancing the significant assets that we are proud to call our own.

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