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Walking Access Commission welcomes review of legislation

Posted under: Media release

Published 30 November 2018

The New Zealand Walking Access Commission Ara Hīkoi Aotearoa (NZWAC) is welcoming the mandatory review of its governing legislation, the Walking Access Act 2008.

When initially passing the Act in 2008, Parliament decided to undertake a review after ten years to assess if it remains fit for purpose and to identify any improvements. The review will be run by the Ministry for Primary Industries, and supported by a small independent panel chaired by Dr Hugh Logan.

Ric Cullinane, NZWAC Chief Executive, says the review is a great opportunity for people to have their say about public access to New Zealand’s outdoors.

“We encourage all those who have a passion for creating and protecting public access to the outdoors to get involved during the consultation phase in early 2019.”

“This review offers the chance to reflect on ten years of the Commission’s work, and to ensure we are best placed to make the best of opportunities for public access in the coming years,” says Ric Cullinane.

Background

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) will lead the review as it is responsible for administering the Act. MPI will work with a panel of three people, chaired by Hugh Logan, to complete the review by September 2019. The panel has experience in public access to the outdoors, Māori access issues and government.

More information, including the Terms of Reference for the review, is available on the Ministry’s website.

Dr Hugh Logan has had wide experience at national, regional and local levels that involve major outdoor access stakeholders. This includes environmental, conservation, primary industry, local government and recreation organisations. He has worked as chief executive for the Ministry of the Environment and the Department of Conservation.

He has considerable experience in multi stakeholder processes at national level, for example chairing the Land and Water Forum. He has also been involved in community level local groups, including the Mackenzie Trust and the Canterbury Mountaineering Club.