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Outdoor Access Commission
Introducing new chief executive Dan Wildy
Kia ora koutou. It’s a pleasure to introduce myself in our final newsletter of the year. My name is Dan Wildy, and I was recently appointed Chief Executive of the Outdoor Access Commission. I was drawn to the commission by a desire to continue serving the public. In that sense, this role feels like a natural continuation of my career.
As I’ve told former colleagues, the commission’s work is “all upside”. We exist to promote free, certain, enduring, and practical public access – something that benefits us all.
Unformed Legal Roads and the Queen's Chain
In recent weeks, the media has been exploring with us New Zealand’s outdoor access rights and the history behind them. This began with news from our mapping system that NZ has 55,000km of “paper roads” — or unformed legal roads. We shared what these unformed legal roads mean for Kiwis and how you can locate them in RNZ’s detailed guide. We also explored the historic concept of the Queen’s Chain, a long-standing principle that ensures public access to rivers, lakes, and coastlines.
Ngā Manu
Aotearoa New Zealand is home to many special native birds — ngā manu — that are found nowhere else on Earth. In the past, birds played a paramount role in Māori life. Public access to the outdoors—whether through ngahere (bush), farmland, or wetlands—offers opportunities to reconnect with ngā manu, te taiao (the land and the environment), and to support conservation.
Remembering Ric Cullinane
We are saddened to share that our former chief executive, Ric Cullinane, passed away on 3 November, surrounded by his family. Ric was one of the Commission’s original team members, joining in 2010 and assuming the role of chief executive in 2018. He played a pivotal role in our formation, including establishing and leading the regional field advisor network across Aotearoa.
A long road to Steyning Spring
Twelve years ago, our Canterbury Field Advisor, Geoff Holgate, GPS-mapped the centreline of an unformed legal road in the Magdalen Valley high country, using co-ordinates derived from an 1876 survey. Recently, its physical location has been questioned again.
Dunedin Tunnels Trail blossoming after early support
We are proud to have supported the early stages of the Dunedin Tunnels Trail by providing $10,000 from our Enhanced Access Grant fund. This funding helped cover legal costs for private landowners to review easements, making it easier for the project to move forward.
A busy year of GIS developments
At the commission, we use GIS every day to improve public access to Aotearoa’s outdoors. 2025 has been a big year for our GIS team. It featured: a new Public Access Area layer on our mapping system, WAMS, that gives clearer, more accurate info on public outdoor access; work on the Pocket Maps app that provides offline maps, elevation profiles, and detailed layers for safe adventures, and partnering with LINZ to improve nationwide track data for emergency responders.
Colorado Trails Trust shares knowledge with Kiwi trailmakers
At our November Trailmakers Hui, we welcomed our first international speaker, Paul Talley, Executive Director of the Colorado Trail Foundation. Paul shared his experiences working with volunteers to build and maintain trails along the 912km Colorado Trail. He covered how to fund projects, how to recruit and keep volunteers and how to work with local communities.
Choccy fish to Kaikoura Council
One of the first jobs for our new chief executive, Dan Wildy, was sending chocolate fish to Matt Hoggard and his colleagues at Kaikoura District Council for the work they did developing the council’s proposed walking and riding strategy. It is comprehensive, including provisions for horse riding, prams, and other accessibility issues that we have not noticed in other strategies.
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100 Willis St, Wellington
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