Advice on GODZone adventures races in National Parks

To: Penny Nelson, Director-General of Conservation
Date: 25 March 2022

It has come to the Authority’s attention that the recent GodZone race concession was granted, allowing activity counter to the Mt Aspiring National Park Management Plan (NPMP).

Preparing NPMPs is, in the truest sense, a democratic exercise. They are the result of thousands of hours of public and business consultation, to arrive at an agreed, negotiated compromise between various members of the public, NGOs, and commerce. The policies and objectives of a NPMP should not be ignored for desire or convenience.

In this light, permitting the world's largest expedition adventure race to traverse over Park Pass, the Rock Burn and the Donald River, which are explicitly not allowed for in the Mount Aspiring National Park Management Plan, is inexplicable.

I refer to section 6.7.2 of the Mount Aspiring NPMP:

Competitive sporting events and thrill-seeking activities

Some commercial recreation activities or uses are generally not provided for in the park, even though it could provide an attractive setting for them. They include some thrill-seeking activities, such as bungy jumping or ski fields, and large sporting events, like multi-sport endurance races or orienteering. [emphasis added]

More specifically, this activity took place in parts of the park managed for Remote Setting and effectively condoned participants to race in a gazetted Wilderness Area. Such activities are clearly inconsistent with the policies and objectives in the NPMP. I am also aware that there was considerable use of helicopters during the event for both managing the event and extracting injured participants from the Remote zone.

In addition, I understand that the Otago Conservation Board provided advice to the Department emphatically recommending that a concession for the race should not be granted for precisely these reasons.

The Authority is deeply concerned that granting this concession is indicative of the ongoing issue, formally identified in the Authority’s December 2020 Report: DOC Management Planning Process, of a sincere lack of integration of these statutory documents into the Department’s operational planning.

The Authority requests that the Department provide an explanation at the Authority’s next meeting on 4 and 5 April, in unequivocal terms:

• How the advice provided by the Otago Conservation Board was considered
• The grounds upon which the Department evaluated use of Remote and Wilderness areas
• How the Department made its decision in granting this concession
• The actual use made of helicopters during the event and how that use compares with the Department’s anticipated use
• The actual routes traversed by the participants, including numbers of participants
• What lessons the Department may have

In the meantime, we remind the Department that while most of our NPMPs are overdue for review, until they are reviewed and approved, they hold, no matter how inconvenient that may be.

No reira
E noho ora mai

Edward Ellison ONZM
Chairperson NZCA