Negotiation and agreement the way forward on walking access
Tuesday 28 August 2007, 8:14AM
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The Government has accepted the recommendations of an independent panel which was set up to address walking access issues, Rural Affairs Minister Damien O'Connor said today.
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The Government has accepted the recommendations of an independent panel which was set up to address walking access issues, Rural Affairs Minister Damien O'Connor said today.
The review of walking access was prompted by the need for clear and enduring rules around access to the outdoors amid changing values and patterns of rural land ownership in New Zealand, Mr O'Connor said.
The Walking Access Panel's report was made public in March and followed a long period of extensive consultation.
"All new walking access over private land, including Maori land, is to be by negotiation and agreement with the landholder," Mr O'Connor said.
"This is the Government's formal position and reflects the consensus as laid out in the panel's report. The report gives everyone a solid base from which to implement the policy."
Mr O'Connor said providing access to outdoors areas is an important and complex issue which affects many New Zealanders.
"Most of us love the outdoors, and as a result of these changes Kiwis will see many new benefits. These include access to new walkway mapping information and signage, resolution of existing conflicts and confidence that future access issues can be negotiated in a timely way. Furthermore, the New Zealand Walkways Act 1990, which was set up to establish public walkways in significant areas, will be included in decision-making."
Mr O'Connor said an advisory board of key stakeholders was being set up to oversee an interim establishment unit within the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on the implementation of the changes. It will also advise on the setting up of a walking access entity.
The roles and function of the walking access entity, which the panel recommended to provide oversight on local access issues, will be decided over the coming months, Mr O'Connor said.
"The Labour-led Government's approach to securing new public walking access involving private land is based on building on the existing goodwill and co-operation of landholders, rather than one of confrontation and compulsion. There is no 'one-size fits all' solution as each issue is likely to have a distinct history and set of circumstances."