Targeting illegal operators, having your say, summer campaigns, and more... 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. If you have any feedback on how we can improve Business on the Green, please let us know. I’d like to take the opportunity to thank you all for your continuing work and commitment to positive conservation outcomes. It is timely for me to talk directly to our many thousands of concessionaires, given the significance of actions, activities and occurrences in the field over the past few months. Lou Sanson at Lake Angelus Hut, Nelson Lakes National Park. Photo. Georgia Sanson I hope this newsletter finds you and your family well. You are likely to be preparing for a busy summer period or a time when you are all together and enjoying each other and nature. My season’s greetings to you and yours. Lou Sanson Mourning our matesIt is with a heavy heart we farewelled two devoted conservationists from the DOC family in October. Scott Theobold and Paul Hondelink, affectionately referred to as Scotty and Hondy were dedicated to their work in conservation and considered pioneers in their respective fields. Our hearts and best wishes go out to their families, friends and colleagues. We also extend our deepest sympathy to pilot Nick Wallis' family. Nick and his family have been long-time conservation champions and dear friends to the DOC team. Keeping our people safeOur frontline staff, contractors and partners continue to experience unacceptable levels of threats and harassment. Recent issues have included a rise in 1080 protests, legal challenges mounted against 1080 drops, and a reaction against a proposed tahr control operation. While we respect and support people’s right to disagree and to protest peacefully, we do not tolerate threats or abuse. Staff and contractor safety is paramount. No DOC staff member or the people we work with (such as yourselves) should have to tolerate threats and harassment as part of their work. DOC is seeking legal advice about actions taken against our staff, contractors and partners that threaten safety and wellbeing. If you experience threats or harassment in relation to your work with DOC, please report it to your local DOC contact. Targeting illegal operators this summerThis tourist season our compliance officers will be out in force checking that operators hold, and are complying with, the appropriate concession or permit. We know that most of you abide by the conditions of your concession / permit – we want to ensure all operators are paying their fair share. Compliance Officers in the South Island attended training in November In addition, each region is preparing to undertake compliance work as a priority this summer. For example, the Southern South Island has employed an additional nine Compliance Officers to focus solely on concessions compliance. Of course our compliance activities are not just related to tourism operators. A commercial bee keeper was recently prosecuted, and completed diversion, for keeping 24 hives on conservation land without authority. DOC and Maritime New Zealand also successfully prosecuted a French cruise company in October. The company was fined $70,000 and the captain $30,000, for an incident in the subantarctic islands in 2017. Ninety percent of the fine was awarded to DOC and will be spent on Auckland Islands pest eradication. See our media release. So, we’re doing our best to ensure there is a level playing field for you all. Help us out this summer by being our eyes and ears on the ground. Report any suspicious or illegal activity to our 24-hour hotline 0800 DOC HOT. Government Tourism Strategy – have your sayThe Government released the Aotearoa New Zealand Draft Tourism Strategy for public consultation in November. DOC has worked closely with Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment on its development. The Strategy sets out government’s role in enriching New Zealand through sustainable tourism. It proposes a more deliberate and active role for government, with an emphasis on growing a productive, sustainable and inclusive industry. Public consultation closes on 4 February 2019. DOC has also been working on an updated heritage and visitor strategy which aligns with the wider Government approach. If you would like to receive a copy of the draft DOC strategy when it is available email businessonthegreen@doc.govt.nz Application processing over the holiday period Processing of applications for permits and concessions will stop on 21 December and resume from 11 January. If you need to contact us about your existing permit or concession, DOC offices will reopen from 3 January. Helping visitors care for New ZealandIt will come as no surprise to you that some visitors, both domestic and international, are either not caring about or don’t know how to behave in a responsible and respectful way when visiting our natural spaces. As visitors increase, so too does their collective impact. Seven agencies, including DOC, have worked collaboratively to launch an initiative that encourages positive visitor behaviour. The Tiaki- Care for New Zealand initiative was launched earlier this month. The initiative includes a visitor promise similar to other country’s pledges such as Iceland, Palau and more recently, Hawai’i. The Tiaki Promise will be promoted through several high traffic websites including newzealand.com and on Air New Zealand’s international services. Image of a poster created for the launch of the Tiaki Promise Summer campaigns target good behaviour In addition to the Tiaki Promise, DOC is launching a summer campaign in mid-December that will focus on positive behaviour on conservation land. These areas include visitor safety, use of drones, toileting, proximity to wildlife, and littering. A responsible camping campaign will also be launched by Tourism NZ, i-sites and MBIE to support positive behaviour from freedom campers. The collaborative agency approach is a positive step in the right direction to ensure all those who engage with our nature, love and respect it as we do. Celebrating biosecurity championsBiosecurity New Zealand (MPI) recently held the Biosecurity Awards in Auckland. The awards recognise the people and organisations that are exemplars in their contribution to biosecurity. One of the awards presented on the night was the DOC Community Award. DOC sponsored the award to recognise the outstanding work of the communities that help protect our unique ecosystem. The winner of the Award was the Pirongia Te Aroaro o Kahu Restoration Society for Restoring Kokakō to Mt Pirongia. L-R Clare St Pierre, Selwyn June and Diane June accepted the award presented to them by Mike Slater Guiding fee increases New activity fees for guiding concessions will be released shortly. We will contact all guiding concessionaires directly when this happens. If you have an existing concession there will not be any change to your fees until your usual rental review date or when your concession comes up for renewal, whichever occurs sooner. Booking DOC facilities onlineAfter the successful opening of Great Walks on the new booking system in June, DOC is focusing on moving all bookable facilities (huts, campsites and lodges) onto the same platform before next season. This will make it easier for visitors to make and manage their own bookings. There will be no change to how you make these bookings this summer. We expect the changes to be available for the 2019/20 season. National Park Management Plans – have your say Submissions on the draft National Management Plans for Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park and Westland Tai Poutini National Park have been extended until 4 February 2019. Check the consultation web pages for advice on preparing your submission, and background information on the key issues. Wellington Conservation Management Strategy approved Tramping safety videos Some of New Zealand’s most popular alpine tramps and hikes are also the most challenging. Mountain Safety Council’s new alpine tramping video series profiles 12 scenic alpine tramps and explains how to properly prepare for each adventure, and avoid the common pitfalls. Beehive activity return videoThere is a new video resource to help beehive concessionaires complete their activity returns. Beehive concessionaires must provide activity return data using a pre-populated Excel spreadsheet template. Data is included in the template and emailed to each beehive concessionaire when their activity return is due. See also the written user guide and instructions. Walking in NZ guide now publishedAA Traveller has published Walking in New Zealand – from 30 minutes to multi-day, in conjunction with DOC and Tourism New Zealand. The guide showcases less visited short walks, day hikes and multi-day walks that will give visitors a truly memorable walking experience. It also features Landmarks walks – short walks that let people explore the places that have shaped our nation. Walking in New Zealand is available free at AA Centres, DOC Visitor Centres, i-SITEs, airports and many accommodation, attraction and tour operators. Check it out – you might want to consider incorporating some of these walks into your concession. Is there something you would like to see in this newsletter? Email us at businessonthegreen@doc.govt.nz |