The art of negotiating access

Negotiating access to New Zealand’s outdoors requires extensive knowledge, delicacy, flexibility and understanding, along with an unwavering belief in the value of outdoor access.

Each year, the New Zealand Walking Commission mediates in hundreds of cases involving landowners, with the ultimate objective of protecting New Zealand’s natural heritage by promoting free, certain, enduring and practical access to the outdoors.

Helping to resolve often difficult access issues means having the ability to be a good listener, to be genuine, and to “apply a curious mind,” as Inger Perkins, regional field advisor for the West Coast learned during training.
 

Access, development and infrastructure

The effort required to retrofit access into some of our urban and rural spaces suggests we have not got access policy right in the past. In future, access must be considered as part of our country's infrastructure, writes NZWAC chief executive Eric Pyle.
 

Trail development workshop coming up in Hamilton

Councils, community groups and outdoor organisations are getting together  to share knowledge and best practice on the development of trails in the central and upper North Island, and to start mapping these for a comprehensive overview.
 

Outdoors champion appointed to NZ Walking Access Commission board

Respected outdoors advocate Robin McNeill has been appointed to the board of the New Zealand Walking Access Commission.
 

Treasuring our mountains, as well as our waterways

Access matters. New board member Robin McNeill discusses the value of the New Zealand Walking Access Commission and the need to value access to our mountains as well as our waterways.
 

Scholarship for outdoor access research

A $5,000 scholarship is available to Kiwi students researching public access to the outdoors and New Zealand’s farming heritage. Applications close on 11 November.
 

End of an era as board member Brian Stephenson retires

Auckland-based barrister Brian Stephenson has completed his term on the New Zealand Walking Access Commission’s Board after seven years in the role.
 

From finding people to finding solutions to access issues

A few years ago, Rod Smillie found himself sharing a hut deep in Whanganui National Park with a couple of Israeli secret service officers who had come to New Zealand for a holiday.
 

Welcome to our new mapping advisor

We are delighted to welcome Sarah Cruickshank, our new mapping advisor. Sarah brings strong geospatial information technology expertise and will help lead development of the Walking Access Mapping System. Her previous role was with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment as a geospatial advisor.

News from the field

News from the field’ provides a roundup of public access topics being worked on by the New Zealand Walking Access Commission’s regional field advisors. This month, we hear from Margaret Horsburgh (Auckland), and Ange van der Laan (Queenstown Lakes and Southland).