Ara Hīkoi Aotearoa

Riparian planting and public access May 13, 2022

Ric Balfour from Landcare Trust and Felicity Brough from Walking Access Commission have formed a partnership where they work with farmers and catchment groups to help them develop public access routes when they are doing riparian planting. Felicity and Ric’s work is important because there is a strong link between good public access to land and healthy environmental outcomes.

For more information about riparian planting and public access visit the Landcare Trust and Walking Access Commission websites, especially:

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Music: Verão by Shane Ivers.

Photo by Ric Balfour

Celia Wade-Brown the outdoor adventurer Apr 21, 2022

Celia Wade-Brown is best known to many people as the former mayor of Wellington. But since that political adventure, she has become a different type of adventurer, first walking Te Araroa, then cycling then Tour Aotearoa and more recently kayaking around significant parts of the motu. She’s also a member of the Walking Access Commission Board and Te Araroa Trust Board, and she founded Living Streets Aotearoa and organises the Wairarapa Walking Festival.

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Music: Verão by Shane Ivers.

Walking is modest Jan 07, 2022

Walking is not just a slow way of getting from A to Z. It is about experiencing all the other letters in between.

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Source of dawn chorus with blackbirds in the foreground: Department of Conservation

Creating easements for picturesque Queenstown tracks Jun 30, 2021

Ric Cullinane, our Tumuaki/Chief Executive shares the story behind creating easements for some stunning tracks located in central Otago.

This 10 year long project spans back to the dawn of the commission. The story includes behind the scenes information on easements, international celebrities and what can only be described as eye-watering views.

Asher departs the Commission Jan 28, 2021

After four years at the Walking Access Commission Asher Wilson-Goldman is leaving us. He takes time out in his last week to talk about some of the changes to public access during his time as strategic communications and partnerships manager. And he talks about some of the challenges and issues for public access in the future.

Dr Mick Abbott talks about letting the North Waikato landscape shape its people Sep 15, 2020

Professor Mick Abbott teaches landscape architecture and sustainable land use at Lincoln University. He has a passion for New Zealand's many special outdoor places. He is working on a project to develop a network of tracks and trails that will connect the people of Franklin-North Waikato to each other and to the awa. He talks to us about his view that landscapes can shape people rather than people shaping landscapes. You can see his Franklin-North Waikato report, including maps, on our website.

Picton-Havelock Link Pathway nears the finish line Jul 30, 2020

The 38km Link Pathway Te Ara Tuhono between Picton and Havelock is nearly complete. After 15 years work on it, one of its instigators, Rick Edmonds, is looking forward to finishing. Edmonds says the idea for the path came when locals noted there was nowhere people could go for walks and enjoy the Marlborough Sounds environment, other than on the edge of the road.

Bay of Islands beach bought to save public access Jun 19, 2020

Geoff Ricketts set up and now chairs the Ipipiri Nature Conservancy Trust, which this week bought Elliot Bay Farm in the Bay of Islands. You can see a map of the area on the Walking Access Commission website. The trust is going to preserve public access to the beach and also hopes to build a Great Walk standard multi-day walk on the bush-covered land. Photo credit: Richard Craig Smart

Don Cameron on the link between public access and trapping to protect native birds Mar 18, 2020

Don Cameron is the new chair of the Walking Access Commission board. He''s also mayor of the Ruapehu District Council and a keen advocate for enjoying the outdoors. In this episode, he talks about the link between good multi-modal tracks and trails and protecting our biodiversity with traps.

Connecting the people of North Waikato through a network of tracks Feb 27, 2020

Nestled between Auckland and Hamilton, the towns of Pukekohe, Pokeno and Tuakau along the Waikato river are growing rapidly. Tens of thousands of people are moving in as farmland is subdivided into new suburbs. Our Connecting Franklin-North Waikato Project wants to makes sure, before the houses go in, that local people can get around by foot and by cycle within and between their towns. In this podcast Asher Wilson-Goldman tells us what the project is, how it came about and what it will mean for people in these fast-growing towns.

Tahakopa track a memorial to Truby King Feb 04, 2020

Don Sinclair belongs to a group that is building a walkway to the Sir Truby King Bridge in Tahakopa. The Walking Access Commission recently granted $8,000 toward information panels on the new walkway that tell the history and stories of Sir Truby King. Sinclair is an aficionado of local icon, Sir Truby King. So he and other locals are building a walkway as a memorial to the man. Dr King the renowned doctor and founder of Plunket was a resident of the Catlins village of Tahakopa between 1893 and 1929. During that time, the railway came to the Tahakopa district and King was instrumental in helping that happen.

John Forbes farewells the Walking Access Commission Dec 04, 2019

John Forbes has been with the Walking Access Commission since before its inception. Last week we marked his retirement and celebrated his contribution to outdoor public access in New Zealand. Many of the speakers, including John, took the opportunity to talk about the history (and the future) of the Commission and of public access.

Barbara Stuart of Cable Bay Station talks about allowing public access on farmland Nov 07, 2019

Barbara Stuart and her husband Ian own Cable Bay Station near Nelson. They have shared the spectacular scenery and beach access on their land with locals and tourists for decades. She tells us some of the reasons farmers might want to consider for allowing public access on their land.

Sarah Cruickshank on improving our maps with new GIS Oct 24, 2019

Sarah Cruickshank is the Walking Access Commission's GIS and IT Manager. GIS (Geographical Information System) enables our Access Maps to display all the information that people use when looking for tracks of public access. Sarah tells us how and why the Commission is updating its GIS, what it will mean for people using our maps and when you can look forward to the new system.

Landowners are not responsible for health and safety of outdoor recreationalists Jul 04, 2019

WorkSafe has recently confirmed that people carrying out outdoor recreation are responsible for their own risk rather than landowners or businesses. This matches the advice the Walking Access Commission has given since the Health and Safety at Work law came into effect. In this podcast Sam Newton describes the work that Recreation Aotearoa and John Palmer of the NZ Alpine Club did to get that change. And we talk about why it is good news for land owners who let people onto their land.

Sam Newton talks about well-being economics and what it means for outdoor recreation Jul 04, 2019

Sam Newton, Advocacy Manager for Recreation Aotearoa, talks about the government's new Wellbeing Budget. Traditional budgets focus on money and growing the economy. But the new Wellbeing Budget also focuses on people, the environment and our natural resources. It creates some exciting opportunities for outdoor recreation enthusiasts because it gives us a new powerful way to describe why the outdoors and recreation are both important.

Reviewing the Walking Access Act: giving your feedback on public access to the outdoors May 31, 2019

The Ministry for Primary Industries is reviewing the Walking Access Act 2008. Asher Wilson-Goldman, the Walking Access Commission's Strategic Communications and Partnerships Manager talks about what the Act is, how it promotes public access to the outdoors and what people might want from it in the future. MPI wants to hear from people interested in access to the outdoors, so it can get the best possible results from the review. The Act is about increasing free access to tracks, trails and other areas for all sorts of recreation associated with walking - biking, horse riding, four wheel driving, access by Māori to sites of significance, surfing, hunting and fishing. To find out more or give your feedback: •MPI Walking Access Act Review page •Public feedback paper •Summary of public feedback paper •Online feedback form

Julian Hitchman explains using geospatial data to create maps May 08, 2019

Julian Hitchman is one of the Walking Access Commission's Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) Analysts. He talks about how the Commission uses geospatial data to create the maps we use. These maps show tracks, trails and other public access to land. Crucially, they help us negotiate and develop new public tracks and trails. You can view the Walking Access Mapping System (WAMS) at www.wams.org.nz and Find My Adventure at www.walkingaccess.govt.nz

Gillian Wratt talks about building Nelson's great cycle rides Feb 26, 2019

Gillian Wratt is the chair of the Nelson Tasman Trails Trust. The Trust creates cycling opportunities in the Nelson region for cycle tourists and local cyclists. She tells us about the work the trust does on its two big trails. The Great Taste Trail is a New Zealand Great Ride, 174km long, with two thirds being off-road trails. It circles from Nelson to Kaiteriteri, inland to Kohatu then to Richmond and back along the coast to Nelson. The 43km Dun Mountain Trail is also one of New Zealand's Great Rides. Starting in Nelson it goes through Codgers Mountain Bike Park, climbs Dun Mountain (878m) and descends to the Maitai river back into Nelson. Photo credit: Nelson Tasman Tourism at Flickr

Lesley Soper and the Omaui Tracks Trust Feb 20, 2019

In this podcast, Lesley Soper tells the story of the Omaui Track in Southland. Councillor Soper sits on the Invercargill City Council and is also a trustee on the Omaui Tracks Trust. Since 2011 the Omaui Tracks Trust has worked to form a new walking track from the Omaui Scenic Reserve in Southland. The trail opened officially last year. It provides Southlanders and visitors with a new outdoor experience to the top of Omaui Hill, with an incredible view of Foveaux Strait and Bluff Harbour. The track has already been getting good use from school groups, runners, pest control people and those who just enjoy a peaceful walk in the bush. The Omaui Tracks Trust received an Outdoor Access Champion Award last year, recognising the Trust's achievements in enhancing public access and offering new opportunities for New Zealanders to experience our great outdoors. There are some photos of the track and the trustees in our Google Photos album.

Rogaine organiser Grant Hunter discusses public access on private farms Dec 10, 2018

Grant Hunter has been organising rogaines on Canterbury farms for for twenty years. It's a different type of public access because rogainers need to roam over the land for a set event, rather than follow a formed path in their own time. He discusses biosecurity, health and safety, respecting farmers and other issues he deals with when organising events. You can read his full article on our website. Photo credit: Wicked Rogaines

Walking is New Zealand's favourite recreation activity Oct 08, 2018

Last month Sport NZ's Activity Survey revealed that walking is the most popular sport or recreation for adult New Zealanders. We talked to the Walking Access Commission Chief Executive Ric Cullinane about what the commission can do to support our hundreds of thousands of walkers across the country. Photo by Thomas Schweighofer on Unsplash

Ric Cullinane talks about good public access Sep 17, 2018

Longstanding Walking Access Commission staff member Ric Cullinane has been appointed as the Commission's new Chief Executive this month. Following his appointment, he took time to talk about what good public access looks like and the role the Commission plays helping private land owners with access issues.

Chris Livesey talks about new signs for Wellington's Manawa Karioi trails Aug 02, 2018

Island Bay's Manawa Karioi ecological restoration project has won a $5000 grant to erect signs and put in track markers that will help people walk local bush trails. The money comes from the Walking Access Commission's Enhanced Access Fund, which supports local groups to build and preserve outdoor access - especially tracks and trails. We went to Manawa Karioi to meet Chris Livesey from the restoration project. He says that currently the tracks, none of which are marked, can be a confusing web for people who have not used them before. New map panels at the entrances to Manawa Karioi and colour-coded track markers will help more people to enjoy them. --- Music is Black Cat Funky by reusenoise: http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/reusenoise/56513 - available under a creative commons (CC BY-NC 3.0) license.

Training men to open up trails into Te Urewera Jul 05, 2018

The Walking Access Commission's kaumātua, Korotau Tamiana, describes his early work training men to create trails into the previously inaccessible Te Urewera. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (external site) (CC BY 4.0) *The dawn chorus of birds in the background of the audio is from the Department of Conservation (https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/birds/bird-songs-and-calls). The album photo of Te Urewera National Park is by Aroha Pounamu on Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/27276881@N00/)

Always look back Jul 05, 2018

Peho Tamiana talks about whakatūpato - safety and caution in the bush. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (external site) (CC BY 4.0) *The dawn chorus of birds in the background of the audio is from the Department of Conservation (https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/birds/bird-songs-and-calls).

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