Latest News
Funding boost for outdoor access
01/02/2017 11:00amThe New Zealand Walking Access Commission is making $54,000 available to projects that enhance public access to the outdoors through the current funding round of its Enhanced Access Fund. Th...
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National competition encourages students to celebrate NZ outdoors
30/01/2017 11:41amKiwi school children are photographing, drawing and describing their favourite outdoor places as part of the national competition celebrating enjoyment of the great outdoors as part of the N...
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Wishing New Zealand a safe and happy holiday
20/12/2016 1:54pmThe New Zealand Walking Access Commission wishes Kiwis a safe and happy holiday season. Many people will be taking advantage of the good weather and holiday season to explore some of New Zea...
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Boost for North Island trail development
15/12/2016 4:50pmMore than 70 trail developers and managers from the North Island have laid the groundwork for a trail blazing initiative that will see government and community groups working more closely to...
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Can outdoor access and tourism go hand in hand?
15/12/2016 4:45pmCan our outdoor access network grow in step with visitor numbers? NZWAC chief executive Eric Pyle takes a look at the path ahead. Tourism has featured prominently in the media in the past fe...
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Whareroa Farm Reserve receives funding for signage
15/12/2016 4:20pmThe Whareroa Guardians Community Trust has been granted $2,140 to assist with the design and installation of signs to mark public access on a new Kapiti Coast track. The funds were made avai...
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This summer, follow the Kiwi way
15/12/2016 4:18pmNew Zealanders and tourists should strive to ‘follow the Kiwi way’ as they head into the great outdoors this summer. New Zealand Walking Access Commission chief executive Eric Pyle said the ...
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NZWAC Annual Report released
15/12/2016 4:16pmThe New Zealand Walking Access Commission’s Annual Report 2015-2016 is now available online. This report documents the Commission’s performance for the year. Highlights for 2015-2016 include...
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News From the Field - December 2016
15/12/2016 4:03pmNews 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...
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Iconic Roaring Meg track re-opened to walkers
13/12/2016 12:23pmA farming family that allowed people to access the Queenstown Lakes region’s iconic Roaring Meg Pack Track up until the end of last year has announced it has re-opened public access to the t...
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Top Outdoor Spot competition back for 2017
05/12/2016 4:17pmA national competition in which New Zealand school children photograph, draw and describe their favourite outdoor places is back for the fifth consecutive year, with lots of quality outdoor ...
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Trail blazing initiative to boost recreation opportunities
25/11/2016 3:32pmA trail building revolution is underway in New Zealand as planners, managers and hardworking volunteers join forces to create new tracks catering for increasing demand from communities and t...
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Office temporarily closed due to earthquake damage
23/11/2016 10:28amThe New Zealand Walking Access Commission's Wellington head office is temporarily closed due to damage resulting from the earthquake of 14 November 2016. However, the Commission is continuin...
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The art of negotiating access
14/10/2016 12:07pmNegotiating access to New Zealand’s outdoors requires extensive knowledge, delicacy, flexibility and understanding, along with an unwavering belief in the value of outdoor access. Each year,...
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Access, development and infrastructure
14/10/2016 11:55amThe effort required to retrofit access into some of our urban and rural spaces suggests we have not got access policy right in the past. In future, access must be considered as part of our c...
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Trail development workshop coming up in Hamilton
14/10/2016 11:44amCouncils, community groups and outdoor organisations are getting together to share knowledge and best practice on the development of trails in the central and upper North Island, and to star...
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Treasuring our mountains, as well as our waterways
14/10/2016 11:36amAccess matters. New board member Robin McNeill discusses the value of the New Zealand Walking Access Commission and the need to value access to our mountains as well as our waterways. I am d...
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Scholarship for outdoor access research
14/10/2016 11:33amA $5,000 scholarship is available to Kiwi students researching public access to the outdoors and New Zealand’s farming heritage. Applications close on 11 November. The annual John H Aspinall...
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End of an era as board member Brian Stephenson retires
14/10/2016 11:30amAuckland-based barrister Brian Stephenson has completed his term on the New Zealand Walking Access Commission’s Board after seven years in the role. Mr Stephenson joined the Board when it wa...
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News from the field - October 2016
14/10/2016 11:19amNews 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 Margaret Hors...
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