Outdoor Walking Access Report to the Minister for Rural Affairs

4 About the Walking Access Consultation Panel

4.1 Appointment of the Panel

In August 2005, the Government appointed the Walking Access Consultation Panel to carry out thorough consultation with interest groups and the public. The Panel started with the views expressed at consultation meetings with stakeholder representatives, Māori and the public, and in the many written submissions received in response to the Land Access Ministerial Reference Group’s 2003 report Walking Access in the New Zealand Outdoors. Details of the members of the Panel are included in Appendix D.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) provided policy, research and support services for the Panel.

4.2 Terms of reference

The Panel reports to the Minister for Rural Affairs. The full terms of reference are provided in Appendix E.

To summarise, the Panel was asked to attempt to establish more clearly the concerns of interest groups and the extent to which agreement could be reached on measures to:

  • clarify existing public access rights along water margins (that is, the location of the Queen’s Chain) (section 8 of this report);
  • establish the location of “gaps” in the Queen’s Chain, their significance and how they might be remedied (section 9);
  • signpost access rights to water margin land so that the public will be better informed on where they may walk (section 9);
  • establish a code of responsible conduct applying to persons walking on private land or on land adjacent to private land (section 13);
  • protect the security of landholders where this is seen to be an issue (section 16);
  • deal with issues that may arise regarding walking access from a Māori perspective (section 12);
  • provide access along rivers and lakes that may have no Queen’s Chain at all (section 11);
  • negotiate access across private land to the Queen’s Chain or to public land where there is no other reasonable or convenient means to access this land (section 11);
  • explore with interest groups and organisations how suitable unformed legal roads might be better used to provide walking access to the Queen’s Chain or to public land (section 8).

The Panel was also directed to explore the nature of a proposed access commission, and how a commission might provide the necessary leadership on access-related issues (section 7).

The Panel was also invited to report on any other matters related to access policy that appear to require the Minister’s consideration (section 18).

4.3 Summary of consultation process

During May, June and July 2006, the Panel held 43 consultation meetings throughout the country. The meetings were an opportunity for the public and stakeholder organisations to talk to the Panel about the issues and solutions discussed in the Panel’s consultation document Outdoor Walking Access, which was published in April 2006. This feedback was considered by the Panel in formulating its recommendations and conclusions.

The Panel also established a website (www.walkingaccess.org.nz), called for submissions from the public, and met with interested organisations to have more in-depth discussions about the access issues affecting the membership of those groups.

The Panel received approximately 1400 written submissions. An analysis of the submissions is available as a companion document to this report (Walking Access Consultation Panel, 2007).

The Panel was impressed by the very large number of individuals and organisations who took the time to attend meetings and make written submissions, and gratified at the goodwill shown. It seems to the Panel that the public and landholders are keen to see the access debate resolved amicably, and there were many positive suggestions as to how public access could be improved while protecting the interests of landholders.