Talking to tourism operators servicing New Zealand’s busiest and most profitable national park, I expected a happy feel-good story – I wasn’t prepared for this!
The background: tourism operators that want to access the park or Kaiteriteri Reserve need concessions from the Department of Conservation (DOC) – a system that is designed to keep visitor numbers at a sustainable level and that gathers revenue, (originally) aimed to protect conservation values and recreation experiences. Operators are required to collect an Environmental Access Fee from park visitors that includes the compulsory concession fees paid to DOC and as per AbelTasman.com, helps to preserve the unique Abel Tasman environment: “A portion of your ticket price goes directly towards preserving the unique environment you will enjoy on your Abel Tasman excursion.”
Yet, as it turns out, it is not primarily the minimisation of visitor impacts or conservation that is funded through this fee. In 2023/24 contributions to organisations such as Abel Tasman Birdsong Trust and others, e.g. that are committed to the removal of wilding pines, made up a mere 10% of the collected fees. The remainder pays for items such as Nelson’s Visitor Centre, waste management in Motueka and Takaka, monitoring and compliance or is not disclosed at all (presumingly funding DOC’s projects elsewhere in New Zealand?).
As an aside, the Birdsong Trust’s workers on the ground are working as volunteers, for free – they don’t receive any remuneration from this fee.
Existing concessions for the Abel Tasman National Park/Abel Tasman Scenic Reserve and Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve are due to expire on 30 April 2027. To date, operators are left in the dark whether their concessions will be renewed, the expected cost, the conditions or anything else that would make essential business planning possible. This lack of certainty has already led to a freeze on investments for some businesses and threatens their economic survival.
Tasman District Council and DOC are jointly responsible for managing the Environmental Access Fee with the Kaiteriteri Domain Board also collecting a levy for foreshore crossing within the Kaiteriteri area (it appears that TDC’s share has dropped from originally 50% down to 30% without any clear justification). With an apparent lack of accountability, operators who are trying to get some clarity are given the runaround between the organisations.
It seems like community of local conservationists and environmentally conscious businesses have made the Abel Tasman National Park the jewel in the crown of Tasman’s toursim assets. Poor management now appears to be the biggest threat to one of New Zealand’s biggest tourist attractions.
A happy feel-good story? Unfortunately not! This sounds like a mess!