Wishing New Zealand a great Waitangi Day Weekend

Waitangi Day is a truly New Zealand holiday. It celebrates our heritage and provides a perfect opportunity to enjoy some of the stunning outdoors our country has to offer.

Between Waitangi Day on Friday and the end of the weekend, thousands of Kiwis will get out and about among our mountains, rivers, lakes and beaches to enjoy our country together.

From all of us at the New Zealand Walking Access Commission – ngā mihi nui ki a koe me te whānau (best wishes to you and your family). We wish you fine weather, safe travels, and lasting memories with friends and family.

Top Outdoor Spot competition returns

Kiwi school children are being encouraged to snap photos, draw pictures and share creative descriptions of their favourite outdoor places in the 2015 Top Outdoor Spot competition, which runs from 26 January - 20 March.

Funding available for projects enhancing outdoor access

Groups working on projects to improve access to the New Zealand outdoors have less than a month left to apply for funding through the Enhanced Access Fund’s fourth and final funding round of 2014-2015.

New trail information available online

People looking for opportunities to access the outdoors can now view a selection of new biking and walking trail information on the New Zealand Walking Access Commission’s Walking Access Mapping System.

Royal recognition for outstanding access champions here

Three New Zealanders who have made significant contributions to the public access debate were honoured recently in the New Year’s Honours.

Commission builds social media presence

The New Zealand Walking Access Commission is encouraging New Zealanders to share outdoor images from Waitangi Day Weekend on the Commission’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

Applications sought for inaugural Aspinall Scholarship

The application deadline for the first annual J H Aspinall Scholarship closes later this month. This $5,000 scholarship supports research into public access and New Zealand’s farming heritage, is open to applicants currently enrolled in an Honours, Masters or Doctoral programme at a New Zealand university.

A great summer for a road trip

In this column, New Zealand Walking Access Commission Board Member Penny Mudford recounts some of her holiday experiences, and touches on some of the factors that preserve New Zealand's special outdoor access culture and heritage.

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 John Gardiner (Auckland and Northland) and Chris Tonkin (Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast and Kaikoura)