Content tagged: Legislation

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AccessLegislation

Whakaari White Island: we changed the law

For the past 10 years, climbers have fought a losing battle against crag closures, as a lack of legal clarity following the introduction of the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) raised liability concerns for landowners. That all changed recently when ACAT took legal action in the High Court and won. It is difficult to explain the true...
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AccessLegislation

Government response to the Milford Opportunities Project released

ACAT did significant advocacy work across 2023 and 2024 to ensure the Milford Opportunities Project (MOP) would not restrict climbers’ access to crags and peaks in the Darrans, and we have been waiting for the government’s decisions. MOP and ACAT’s advocacyStarting in 2017, MOP was a large-scale planning exercise to determine the future of the...
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AccessLegislation

Government commits to health and safety law reform in win for outdoor recreation access

After a dedicated advocacy effort by an ACAT-led coalition of organisations, the outdoor recreation community is celebrating a significant win with the government’s announcement of plans to reform NZ’s primary workplace health and safety law. Reform of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA) will address liability concerns that have...
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AccessLegislation

Whakaari White Island case a turning point for recreational access

A recent High Court decision agreed with ACAT’s submissions, meaning the outdoor recreation community can reassure most landowners they take on no risk of liability if they permit public access. The High Court’s decision in Whakaari Management Ltd (WML) v WorkSafe relieves landowners of liability concerns around recreational activities...
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AccessLegislation

ACAT’s submission on DOC’s ‘Modernising Conservation Management’ proposals

ACAT recently made a submission responding to the Department of Conservation’s proposals to overhaul conservation land management. Read our key points and the full submission below. Key pointsWe have read the Federated Mountain Clubs’ (FMC) excellent submission on the proposals and we endorse the positions taken. We would like to emphasise and...
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AccessLegislation

ACAT’s submission on proposed access charges for conservation land

ACAT recently made a submission to the Department of Conservation regarding its exploration of charges for access to some conservation land. We want to thank climbers for their ideas and input, these helped greatly in creating a submission that presented a well rounded picture from a climbing perspective. Read our executive summary and the full...
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AccessLegislation

High Court overturns Whakaari landowner’s conviction

The Court’s decision has far-reaching implications for climbing and other recreational access on private land. It may help to resolve many of the issues climbers have faced in recent years.   It was for this reason that ACAT joined the proceedings as a third party ‘intervener’ last year on behalf of the outdoor recreation community....
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AccessLegislation

ACAT opposes the Treaty Principles Bill

ACAT firmly opposes the Treaty Principles Bill and will be making a submission against it. The Bill fundamentally contradicts the principles and spirit of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which we honour as the founding document of Aotearoa New Zealand. As an organisation dedicated to preserving and regaining climbing access throughout Aotearoa, we recognise...
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AccessLegislation

Outdoor recreation groups call for health and safety law changes to protect public access

A coalition of organisations representing hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders in the outdoor recreation community has come together in a powerful call for legislative reform. In a joint submission to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), twelve leading recreation groups have urged the government to amend health and safety...
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AccessLegislation

ACAT intervenes in White Island case to address landowner liability concerns

The Aotearoa Climbing Access Trust (ACAT) will represent the interests of climbers and the outdoor recreation community in the upcoming High Court appeal by Whakaari Management Ltd.  ACAT is joining the proceedings as a third party to advocate for a judgment that goes some way to allaying landowners’ liability concerns regarding climber...
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AccessLegislationWest Coast

Read our submission on West Coast stewardship land reclassification

We have submitted our opinion on the proposals set out in DOC’s Westland stewardship land reclassification consultation document, which affects 504 pieces of stewardship land on the West Coast. There are over 3000 pieces of stewardship land across the country – ACAT’s primary concern is to ensure that recreational access to and across...
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AccessLegislationAuckland

New crag? Read ACAT’s submission on the Waitipu Park plan

The old Waitakere Quarry on Te Henga Rd contains basalt walls with good climbing potential. Auckland Council is creating a new public park in the quarry (Waitipu Park), and ACAT has lodged a submission advocating for rock climbing to be permitted. You can read ACAT’s full submission (including more photos). This was a one-time opportunity to...
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AccessLegislation

ACAT’s submission on climbing access to stewardship land

Stewardship land covers 9% of New Zealand’s landmass. It includes several climbing areas including Mt Somers and the Remarkables Ranges. ACAT has been advocating on behalf of the climbing community to ensure that climbing access is protected in these areas. There are over 3000 individual blocks of stewardship land and the government...
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AccessLegislation

Read ACAT’s submission on the Adventure Activities Regulations changes

On 5 November 2021, ACAT made a detailed submission on proposed changes to the Adventure Activities Regulations, on behalf of the recreational climbing community. The Regulation changes have been proposed by the Ministry of Business Innovation & Employment (MBIE), in response to the White Island catastrophe in 2019. They are intended to...
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AccessLegislation

Access alert – Adventure Activities Regulation changes

If you are passionate about adventure activities or wish to have a say about about the potential impact on recreational climbing access, please make a submission on MBIE’s Adventure Activity – Keeping it Safe proposals. Overview New, stricter regulations are proposed in relation to Adventure Activities.  This includes...
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LandownersLegislation

Do landowners have any potential liability?

Landowners are generally not responsible for recreational activities on their land, only for risks arising from work or workplaces. This means that if a rock climber hurts themselves as a result of climbing while on a landowner’s property, the landowner would not have any liability for the accident. If there is any work occurring...
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