Introduction
A Ministerial Reference Group (the Group) was established in January 2003 by the Minister for Rural Affairs to study issues around access to land. The Group was created in response to concerns over the need to clarify and enhance the legal situation pertaining to public access to the foreshore of lakes and the sea and along rivers and over private land.
The three general groupings of issues that the Group is asked to looking into are:
- access to the foreshore of the lakes and the sea and along rivers (often called the Queen's Chain);
- access to public land across private land; and
- access onto private rural land to better facilitate public access to and enjoyment of New Zealand's natural environment.
The Group engaged in dialogue with stakeholders who have an active interest in access to land policy. This paper presents a summary of the submissions_ received on land access. There were over 230 written submissions, as well as presentations by various groups. Comment was also received on several important issues, such as vehicle access, that were not directly covered by the terms of reference but may be associated with the development of reports on access issues. This paper summarises both the terms of reference and all other relevant comments.
The submissions show considerable thought and effort has been put into replying to the points raised by the terms of reference. Submitters were encouraged to state the extent and nature of problems relating to access, provide potential solutions for addressing these problems and express their vision for public access. The views expressed are those of submitters only and do not reflect opinions or conclusions of the Group. The replies received are proving useful in the Reference Group's consideration of access to land.
Contact for Enquiries
Mark Neeson
Manager, Land and Water Policy
Pastoral House
25 The Terrace
PO Box 2526, Wellington
Phone: +64 894 0703
Fax: +64 4 894 0745
