Utilisation of DOC assets

This measure relates to indicator 3.2.2 – Financial performance of destinations, experiences, facilities and services.

Background

DOC maintains a network of activity counters at nearly 700 locations on public conservation land (PCL). These record the level of public utilisation of DOC’s visitor assets to inform planning, maintenance and capital investment at all scales and sites. DOC analyses data from this network of activity counters to calculate trends in asset utilisation across PCL.

Visitor use increased at 28.1% of DOC destinations, based on a sample of 203 counters from across PCL.

What did we measure?

DOC uses the Destination Management Framework (DMF) to inform its management of key visitor assets at the site level. Under DMF, all visitor sites are categorised into one of four categories (Icon, Gateway, Local Treasure or Backcountry), each of which meets the needs of a different primary user group.

Only data that have been recently downloaded from counters installed for at least 2 years are analysed. The number of sensor triggers is aggregated hourly for each counter and the data are then analysed using a negative binomial generalised additive model (GAM) to estimate long-term trends.

What did we find?

28.1% of DOC destinations saw positive increases in visitor use in 2019/20. Among DMF, Backcountry had the largest increases (39.1%) (Figure 1 & Table 1).
61.2% of DOC destinations are experiencing positive growth in vistor use over time (from the date when each counter has its first record to the date of its last available records) (Figure 2 & Table 1).
These results for 2019/20 were based on a sample of 203 counters from across PCL.

Figures
Table

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Figure 1: Changes in asset utilisation in 2019/20 compared with 2018/19 by counter type, region and Destination Management Framework (DMF) category for a sample of 203 counters on public conservation land (PCL). For more details, see the Data quality section.

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Figure 2: Long-term modelled trends in asset utilisation by counter type, region and Destination Management Framework (DMF) category for a sample of 203 counters on public conservation land (PCL).

Table 1 displays all of the data that informed these figures.

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Table 1 Asset utilisation by counter type, destination, Destination Management Framework (DMF) category and financial year
Region	Destination	Category	Usage	% Change	% Trend	n Triggered	n
NNI	Waipoua Big Kauri walks	Icon	Ped.	-28.9%	-1.16%	157,460	2
NNI	Te Paki Coastal Track	Icon	Ped.	-19.4%	0.28%	2,410	1
NNI	Opononi walks	Local Treasure	Ped.	39.4%	-22.89%	2,306	1
NNI	SH12 Dargaville - Brynderwyn walks	Local Treasure	Ped.	11.3%	38.67%	10,542	1
NNI	Trounson	Gateway	Ped.	-6.8%	10.61%	11,030	1
AKL	Warkworth walks	Local Treasure	Ped.	-78.7%	-8.58%	224	1
AKL	Rangitoto Summit and short walks	Icon	Ped.	-38.7%	-1.83%	35,908	2
AKL	Muriwai walks	Local Treasure	Ped.	-3.4%	9.02%	11,823	2
AKL	Muriwai backcountry	Back Country	Ped.	3.2%	16.41%	21,431	1
AKL	Great Barrier campsites/walks	Local Treasure	Ped.	63.0%	-2.86%	3,012	1

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‘% Change (±)’ indicates asset utilisation this financial year (2019/20) compared with the previous year; ‘% Trend’ indicates the modelled trend at the location; ‘n Triggered’ is the average number of triggers in the year for the counters at that destination (for that counter type); and ‘n’ is the number of counters. ‘Usage’ shows the counter type.

NNI, Northern North Island; AKL, Auckland; HWT, Hauraki, Waikato, Taranaki; CNI, Central North Island; LNI, Lower North Island; NSI, Northern South Island; ESI, Eastern South Island; WSI, Western South Island; SSI, Southern South Island.

Data quality

This measure complies with the data quality guidelines used in New Zealand’s Environmental Reporting framework. The data used in this report were compiled from DOC’s Asset Management Information System (AMIS).

Note: Most of DOC’s visitor assets were closed to the public from late March to early June 2020 due to the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown. This caused the reduced visitor activity recorded across counter locations on PCL during lockdown.

This report for the 2019/20 financial year was generated based on DOC visitor counter data sets up to 30 June 2020.

Glossary of terms

Backcountry destinations are places where people can do a range of outdoor activities, be self-reliant and close to nature.

Gateway destinations are developed to introduce new participants and to grow recreation in the outdoors.

Icon sites are developed to support the growth of domestic and international tourism.

Local Treasures are managed to grow community connection with, and use of, locally important places.