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• Public Access Arrangements in Other Countries

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Arrangements for Access in New Zealand

Arrangements for access in New Zealand are covered in more detail elsewhere in the document.

Public Access Arrangements in Other Countries

England

The arrangements for access in England have been raised by those participants who have either experienced this approach first-hand or wish to explain that English legislation confers a right of foot access only to defined access land but not the right to roam over all land. In making this point some participants acknowledge that these arrangements should be viewed in the context of their cultural and societal traditions as well as the time that they have had to develop. In relation to English access arrangements participants add that:

• All walkways and tracks have been inventoried and mapped.
• The English 'country code' would need to be manipulated to suit New Zealand conditions.
• A walkway is two metres wide and there are rights of way at most points.
• Damage is low-key and problems are easily resolved.
• Access can be too controlled and there are few places available for fishing.

Other Countries

Some participants referred to access arrangements in other countries to emphasise the uniqueness of New Zealand's access traditions and the need to preserve them. Examples raised include:

• The foreign access situation needs to be viewed in the context of public subsidies put into farming.
• In Scotland it is difficult for farmers to deal with open access.
• Fish are privately owned in Austria.
• People have to pay to fish in Japan.
• In Germany people cannot get to a lake to swim.
• There is easy access in Canada.
• Reference to the New Brunswick (Canada) model of access.
• Some beaches in Nice (France) and Hawaii have restricted or prohibited public access. ¹

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¹ Note that these comments have been made by participants and cannot be checked for accuracy.

Contact for Enquiries

Rural Affairs Coordinator
Sector Performance Policy
MAF Policy
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
PO Box 2526
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND

Phone: +64 4 894 0675
Fax: +64 4 4 894 0745
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