Foreign tourists to be charged entry fee at key NZ sites

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Photo: RNZ

The government has announced plans to "unleash growth" on conservation land, granting more business opportunities and introducing entry fees for international visitors at four popular sites.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Conservation Minister Tama Potaka announced changes to the Conservation Act at the National Party Conference in Christchurch on Saturday.

Those changes would create more concessions - permission to operate a business - in tourism, agriculture and infrastructure.

Many businesses already ran on the conservation estate, including guided walks and skifields, filming documentaries, grazing sheep and cattle, hosting concerts and building cellphone towers, but Luxon said the concessions regime was "totally broken, often taking years to obtain or renew, and leaving businesses in a cycle of bureaucratic limbo".

International visitors will be charged between $20 to $40 to access four popular sites, including the Milford Track. Photo: Getty

He said the rules were outdated and the system would be changed to allow more jobs, growth and higher wages, with a "fresh wave" of new concessions made available.

Another change would see international visitors charged between $20 to $40 to access four popular sites - Cathedral Cove, the Tongariro Crossing, Milford Track and Aoraki Mount Cook.

The government estimated it would bring in $62 million a year in revenue to be re-invested in those same areas, Potaka said.

New Zealanders would not be charged, with Luxon saying: "It's our collective inheritance and Kiwis shouldn't have to pay to see it."