Watercraft activities

Introduction

To provide watercraft activities such as kayaking, boat landings or use of DOC wharves you must have a concession from DOC.

Find out what concession you will need and how to apply for one below:

Pre-application meeting

Applying for a concession for the first time can be a little tricky. To ensure your application goes smoothly we offer a free pre-application meeting.

We’ll help you to:

  • Understand the concession you will need to apply for.
  • Navigate our statutory planning documents, so you can consider whether the activity you wish to undertake is consistent with them.
  • Understand DOC’s responsibility to give effect to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, which requires consultation with Treaty Partners on most applications. If you wish, DOC can help you contact the local iwi, hapū, and whānau to assess whether your proposed activity will have any cultural effects. Often this consultation can enhance the activity you are considering.

Type of concession

Depending on what you want to do and when and how you want to do it, you will either need a one-off concession or a longer term concession.

One-off concession – for watercraft activities held over a period of no longer than three months.

As well as complying with all relevant legislation and conservation plans or strategies your planned activity must:

  • have only minor environmental effects that can easily be managed
  • have clearly defined limits (ie number of landings)
  • not involve permanent structures
  • not take place in the same location more than once in any three year period.

Longer term concession – for watercraft activities held over a period of longer than three months.

Your DOC advisor will advise you what concession you will need in your pre-application meeting.

Apply for your concession

Follow the relevant process below for your watercraft activity. There are additional applications you will need to make if your activity involves anything outside of watercraft activities, such as land-based guiding or air transport.

One-off activity   

Identify the name and status of the public conservation land you wish to use by checking DOC maps.

If your application is approved we will send you a contract which you must sign and return before proceeding with your activity.

Longer term activity

Identify the name and status of the public conservation land you wish to use by checking DOC maps.

If your application is approved we will send you a contract which you must sign and return before proceeding with your activity.

Find out more

Find out more about the process and how to prepare your application.

Permissions application process

Preparing a permission application

Timeframe

One-off applications are generally processed in shorter timeframes, dependent on whether iwi consultation is required.

Complex applications could take a number of months to be processed.

If your proposed activity has to be notified to the public because there are likely to be significant environmental effects over the duration of your activity, this will impact your application processing time.

See How long it takes to process an application for more information on application timeframes.

Fees

One-off activity

We will invoice you once we have processed your application. Your fee is likely to be $130 plus GST ($146.50 including GST).

Longer-term activity

We will invoice you once we have processed your application. The processing fee for a standard application is likely to be $2065 plus GST ($2374.75 including GST). If your application is assessed as complex, covers multiple regions, or includes more than 20 individual locations, this fee is likely to be higher. We will send you an estimate of costs once we have received your application.

If your proposed activity has to be notified to the public because there are likely to be significant environmental effects over the duration of your activity your fee will include the cost of public notification and hearings. We will provide an estimate of the likely application processing time and cost when your application is received.

You will be required to pay ongoing concession and activity fees.

Additional applications

If your watercraft activity involves one of the activities below you must also fill in the relevant form for that activity. 

Safety plan

As part of your application you will need a safety plan.

Contact us

For more information or assistance with your concession contact the nearest of these DOC offices.