Westland Tai Poutini National Park Management Plan
Introduction
Find out about and view the Westland Tai Poutini National Park Management Plan 2001 -amended 2008 and 2014.Download the publication
Westland Tai Poutini National Park Management Plan - amended 2008 and 2014 (PDF, 9,240K)
Summary
The management plan for Westland Tai Poutini National Park has been reviewed in accordance with the procedures set out in Section 47 of the National Parks Act 1980. This is a statutory document and provides for the management of Westland Tai Poutini National Park in accordance with the General Policies for National Parks and the National Parks Act 1980. This is the second review of the original plan published in accordance with the National Parks Act 1952.
The purpose of this plan is to express the Department’s overall management intentions for Westland Tai Poutini National Park. Achievement will be determined by the availability of resources, strategic and business planning and level of community and concessionaire support.
This management plan was prepared by the Department of Conservation in consultation with representatives from Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, the West Coast Tai Poutini Conservation Board, the Canterbury Aoraki Conservation Board and other interested groups and individuals.
The plan acknowledges mana whenua and tangata whenua status of Ngāi Tahu over their ancestral lands and waters within the park. It acknowledges the Crown’s relationship with and obligations to Ngāi Tahu under section 4 of the Conservation Act 1987, provisions of the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998 and the Ngāi Tahu Deed of Settlement 1997.
This plan was approved by the New Zealand Conservation Authority on 21 December 2001.
This plan, including the amendments, remains operative unless formally reviewed in full or in part or amended.
Timeline of changes
2008 amendment
In 2008, the New Zealand Conservation Authority approved an amendment to the plan to enable the construction of shared cycling/walking pathways in the Franz Josef and Fox Glacier Valleys. The glossary of the plan was amended. Other sections of the plan (including maps 1-3) also needed to be updated to include several areas of land that were added to the Park since the management plan was approved. The amendments took effect on 11 June 2008.
2014 amendment
In April 2014, the New Zealand Conservation Authority approved an amendment to the plan focusing on access to the Franz Josef Glacier Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere and Fox Glacier Te Moeka o Tuawe. This change was required to ensure safe public access due to the glaciers advancing and receding. Other consequential changes were also made relating to aircraft and road access, vehicle and aircraft use and glacier guiding. These amendments took effect 9 April 2014.
2018/19 review stopped
A full review of the plan resulted in a draft plan being notified in September 2018. The Department received 1,361 submissions by the close of submissions on 4 February 2019.
The plan review was paused in February 2019 to consider the implications of the Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki Supreme Court decision. This decision clarifies that DOC and Ngāi Tahu have an important role in giving effect to the Treaty of Waitangi principles.
During the time the Plan review was paused, several things changed, not only affecting the Park but also the whole West Coast. These included:
- more frequent large weather events and the effects of climate change access and public safety
- large additions to public conservation lands and waters in the region
- many recreational activities have changed, and some have increased in popularity.
As a result, the statutory work programme for the West Coast was reprioritised to ensure statutory requirements were looked at holistically and the resources were prioritised in the right sequence. A national park management plan must be consistent with the conservation management strategy (CMS) and, due to the changes on the West Coast, the priority is to review the CMS first.
Bylaws
Bylaws are in place for Westland National Park to control activities within the Park. These bylaws implement the NPMP. View the bylaws.
