DOC to provide comforts for a fee

BY KIRAN CHUG

Luxury meals, hot showers and comfortable beds could all be provided by businesses in our national parks under new commercial plans to open them up to more private companies.

The Conservation Department, which had $13.5 million shaved off its budget this year, is also considering charging for services such as the use of toilets and car parks.

Director-general Al Morrison said attracting more businesses to work on the conservation estate was a priority for DOC this year, but did not mean national parks would be turned into theme parks. "This is not about Disneyland or Club Med in national parks."

There were currently 4500 concession holders who paid DOC to run businesses on conservation land, ranging from whale-watching tours to guided walks.

DOC had to cut its expenditure by $54m over the next four years, which Mr Morrison said had led to a "big culture shift".

It needed to work pragmatically and be a more efficient business, while in the past it had been driven by "high principles".

A new "commercial business unit" was being set up, to be headed by a person recruited from the private sector who would implement changes that Mr Morrison said would make some people "nervous".

DOC wanted to work more with businesses, and the unit would identify areas where more commercial activities could occur. "Our aim is that the private sector becomes even more profitable when it's operating on conservation land."

The Environmental and Conservation Organisation's co-chair Cath Wallace said DOC's priority should be conservation. It was a shame funding cuts meant it had to seek money from the private sector. "The Government is trying to starve DOC into submission."

Although Mr Morrison said private businesses would assist with conservation projects, Ms Wallace said such projects were not profitable and private businesses would not do them. "The whole purpose of the conservation estate is for public values and public purposes. That's mostly not consistent with private business and private purposes."

Tour company Ultimate Hikes offers packages for walking the Milford and Routeburn tracks. General manager Noel Saxton said there was a case for more luxury operators in national parks.

At a cost of about $2000, guided Milford walkers had meals provided and stayed in private luxury lodges owned by the company on land leased from DOC, which operated more than 950 huts of its own.

Mr Morrison said establishing the new commercial unit was also a response to the possibility of more energy-generation projects on the conservation estate – which covers more than eight million hectares.

The Government is considering opening up protected parts of the conservation estate to mining.

Business New Zealand chief executive Phil O'Reilly said New Zealand needed to consider whether it was getting the best value from its conservation estate or whether it was worth digging up minerals, encouraging private firms to plant carbon sinks, or build hydro schemes.

Setting up a DOC business unit would help with "unlocking the true value" of the estate, he said.

Forest and Bird general manager Mike Britton said DOC's commercial direction was "dangerous and scary". The value of the conservation estate was not commercial.

Mr Morrison said DOC's changes would be consistent with its conservation values, and it made sense to work more with businesses.

"It's now fashionable to be seen as green. If we're not leveraging off that, we are dumb."

Making Money: Ideas To Boost Revenue Selling more concessions to businesses

Charging for public toilets on conservation land

Charging for the use of DOC car parks

Encourage more private businesses to pay DOC for using its land

Allowing energy-creation schemes on DOC land

Visitors To The Conservation Estate Last Year

1.5 million New Zealanders visited conservation areas

700,000 overseas tourists visited a national park

85,000 people walked one of the Great Walks

- © Fairfax NZ News