Tama Potaka: Conservation Minister on the conservation law reform, plans to charge overseas visitors for access to certain sites

The Conservation Minister says there's huge opportunity for conservation land to generate the country more money. 

A bill's been lodged, promising major reforms aimed at speeding up the DOC sign-off process for concessions on conservation land. 

It would also see overseas visitors charged to visit certain sites – estimated to raise around $60 million a year to go to conservation. 

Tama Potaka told Mike Hosking he's confident visitors are prepared to pay. 

He says they've just started charging for a few carparks and made about $1.5 million for DOC. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
We have. They claim the biggest shake up to conservation
land management in forty years coming. They're looking to speed
up decisions, boost infrastructure. It's all link to tourism because
Tima po Taker is the Minister of Conservation and as
with us, time of.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Morning, Kyoto, Mike, it's no claim we're going to do it.

Speaker 1 (00:13):
You're going to do it. So you say in your
press release you use the words and this is the
first I've seen for a very long time in an
official government press release you use the words Lucy goosey.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yes.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
So why is it taking you two and a half
years to get here? Why don't you start on day one?

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Well, what we did, Mike, is we came up with
a couple of proposals. We went out and engaged with
a lot of communities and now through coalition engagement, we've
decided this is the way forward. Here's what we're going
to do, and we're going to get rid of green
and red tape that's actually making it hard for New
Zealanders to do things on the conservation of state.

Speaker 1 (00:46):
When you talk about clearer rules for granting concessions, what's
an example, what's the concession and what are the rules.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
Well, here's an example. Some of the concession is people
who want to do things on the estate. That includes
big businesses mighty small medium enterprises taking eight to ten
years to get a decision made to go and take
a guided walk or to run a hotel on various
parks around the country. Now, that's far too long in

(01:12):
my book, and some concessions actually shouldn't need a massive
long decision. So, for example, if you're going to collect
some water out of a stream, why are we taking
weeks to make a decision to say you can go
and do that. Just go and do it.

Speaker 1 (01:25):
Yeah, this is similar to the RMA, I take it,
except in conservation version.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
Yes it is. But the other side of this, Mike,
is that we think the conservation can work better for
all New Zealanders and we can generate money, for example,
charging international travelers on some tracks. We can use that
to then reinvest in by diversity and looking after birds
and other things. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:44):
I don't know, why are you angsty about charging people?
I can't understand. While we're remoting, you get charge for
everything everywhere around the world, for goodness sake, why wouldn't
we charge people?

Speaker 2 (01:52):
Well, Mike, we just started charging on a couple of
car parks over four or five months, we made about
one point five million dollars for the doc team. That's
what we're talking about. Places like white Horse car Park
down and Alducky and Fans Joseph. People will pay five
or ten dollars out of car park. People will also pay,
if they're coming from overseas, twenty forty sixty dollars to
come to some of these iconic places easily.

Speaker 1 (02:13):
It's not hard, No, it isn't hard. Having said that,
what have you learned in this portfolio, Because what I've
understood over the years is there's something about the so
called conservation estate where there's a collective of people who
freak out and never want any of it touched. And
is that what you're up against.

Speaker 2 (02:29):
Yes, there is a strong opposition to doing anything because
many people are in the locket and leave it attitude.
We aren't. What we're saying is that there's some areas
of high value conservation and you can't do things like
mining and other activities in those areas, But there's a
whole bunch of other land or resource that actually we
should use more efficiently, and the functions of the department
should tilt accordingly and should be efficient themselves.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
Crack on and have a good weekend appreciated time at
poticher Minister of Conservation.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
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