22007497

Help us modernise conservation land management

Introduction

The Government seeks your feedback on proposed updates to the concessions and planning system to make it more efficient and responsive. Submissions closed on 28 February 2025.

Discussion document (PDF, 4,883)

About this consultation

Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai (DOC) is the country’s biggest land manager and regulates how economic activity takes place on conservation land by issuing concessions, to ensure conservation outcomes are protected.

Recently, many organisations and entities have expressed that changes are needed to the management planning and concessions system. Concessions are slow and complicated to process.

As a responsible land manager, the Government also wants to ensure conservation land is managed and looked after properly. That includes flexibility around exchanges and disposals of public conservation land to improve conservation outcomes.

The Government is consulting on proposals to modernise how businesses work on public conservation land and to make it easier for them to work with DOC. This will in turn support DOC to deliver conservation results.

Discussion document

Discussion document (PDF, 4,883)

This discussion document seeks your feedback on options to:

  • provide certainty for investment and achieve better economic outcomes through clear concession allocation settings
  • cut processing times and costs on businesses through more proactive authorisation of activities
  • unlock management planning through a more streamlined and flexible system
  • enable more flexibility around the exchange and disposal of land where it makes sense from a conservation perspective
  • clarify, and provide certainty about DOC’s Treaty obligations.

How to make a submission

Submissions closed 5 pm Friday 28 February 2025.

Presentation

You can find more information about the Government’s proposal to modernise conservation land management in the presentation below.

Modernising conservation land management presentation (PDF, 705K)

Supporting Cabinet papers and advice 

You can find the Minister of Conservation’s Cabinet papers and related advice supporting this proposal below. Some information has been withheld consistent with the Official Information Act 1982.

Contact

Direct any questions regarding this consultation to landlegislation@doc.govt.nz.