Information for concessionaires and permit holders No images? Click here Our relationship with you and the business you operate on public conservation land is important to us. This newsletter is designed to help you run your business and contains practical information relevant to your permit or concession. Overseas domestic tourism trendsInternational destinations hit significantly by the closure of their borders have shown some interesting trends over the summer months. Some of the trends below may be indicative of what is to come as we head into our own summer:
Early signs in our own domestic tourism market show a strong interest for our natural places. This is resulting in some areas being increasingly busy (e.g Te Waikoropupū Springs and Kaikōura Peninsula Walkway). However, numbers at some DOC-managed places are down due to reduced international tourism (e.g. Roys Peak Track). As of 31 August, bookings for Great Walks were up 36% compared with the same time last year. The Milford Track is fully booked (over 90% of bookings are New Zealanders). DOC will be watching visitor trends in the current year with interest, and will publicly release data on this around March/April 2021. Hefty fines for illegal landingsIllegally dropping off and collecting hunters from a designated wilderness area in the Kaimanawa Ranges has cost a helicopter company and pilot a combined $32,000 – by far the highest penalty DOC has attained for this kind of prosecution. The pilot was fined $20,000 in June for the landings. On Friday the company to which he contracted, Precision Helicopters Ltd, was fined $12,000 for its part in the offences. The prosecution resulted from a complaint from a member of the public who witnessed one of the illegal landings. Help us keep other operators honest by calling 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468) if you see any suspicious or illegal activity. Check your concession/permit to avoid finesDOC has a new tool to help enforce and raise awareness of conservation laws. Most people understand and follow the rules, but those who don’t may now face fines of up to $800 as our new enforcement system rolls out. When it comes to concessionaires, our focus is on illegal operators. Infringement notices can be issued for businesses operating without a concession/permit, or not operating according to the conditions of their concession/permit. The existing options of warning letters or prosecution for more serious offences still apply. If you have any questions about what your conditions authorise you to do contact your local DOC office, or read up on managing your concession. Account details required for tourism refundsWe have nearly completed applying credits and refunds resulting from the fee waiver announced in June to assist tourism concessionaires with the impacts of COVID-19. Unfortunately, we have not yet received bank account details for some eligible concessionaires which means we are unable to process refunds due to them. If this applies to you please send your account details to ar@doc.govt.nz as soon as possible, or phone 0800 677 820. If you believe you are eligible for a waiver and have not yet heard from us please contact us as soon as possible. Public engage with virtual Conservation WeekThis theme grew out of the COVID-19 lockdown and the personal challenges many New Zealanders faced as a result. The re-emergence of COVID-19 in Auckland immediately before Conservation Week meant we were unable to host or co-host a number of planned events. However, we had a great response to our online initiatives – our ads appeared on screens just over 6 million times! Online quizzes and photography competitions also proved popular with over 20,000 views. Our virtual Nature through new eyes Tamaki Makaurau/Auckland event featuring speakers on a range of biodiversity topics, was attended by 363 people. View a recording of the livestream. Mahi mō te Taiao – Jobs for NatureAt the end of this month our Jobs for Nature Team will have completed its first 90 days. We’ve still got a long way to go, but we are starting to see tangible returns for our efforts – people in jobs! So far we have approved over $100 million in funding allocations to projects that will create more than 1200 jobs. Peter Owen and Hazel Holmes work together on the conservation course. Photo: DOC Earlier this month Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced a $2 million expansion of the Backcountry Trust’s programme to repair and maintain huts, tracks and bridges in some of New Zealand’s more remote places. She also announced an extra $19.7 million in funding to accelerate iwi and community efforts to protect kiwi. Reconsideration of Tahr Control Operational PlanEarlier this month we released our reconsidered Tahr Control Operational Plan for 2020/2021, which describes how DOC will control Himalayan tahr on public conservation land to protect native alpine ecosystems. DOC is focused on tahr control, not eradication. The national parks’ management unit is the only place where we are targeting all tahr. Throughout the remaining 425,000 ha of public conservation land within the feral range, we are targeting high densities of female and juvenile tahr and leaving all identifiable males for hunters. We have also made a commitment to not control tahr near accessible hunting spots or huts outside of the national parks’ management unit. Documents related to the consultation process are on the DOC website along with maps showing more than 1000 observations of identifiable males observed during recent control operations and left for hunters. Mackenzie drylands protected area increasesBanded dotterel, wrybill, and kakī are just some of the species that will benefit from the legal protection of an additional 11,800 ha in the Mackenzie Basin, announced earlier this month. The new conservation land will come under the korowai or cloak of Tū Te Rakiwhānoa Drylands, a co-designed initiative by DOC and manawhenua, to work with landowners and the wider community. Watch our Tū Te Rakiwhānoa Drylands video for stunning footage and more information about the work happening to protect these fragile drylands. Lake Tekapo. Photo: Shellie Evans Regional news roundupCheck out some of the things we've been up to over the past few months:
Upper North Island:
Central North Island:
Lower North Island:
Upper South Island:
Lower South Island:Is there something you would like to see in this newsletter? Email us at businessonthegreen@doc.govt.nz |