Political parties answer tough questions on Outdoor Recreation in the run up to election day

The New Zealand Recreation Association has asked the big questions on Outdoor Recreation in the run up to election day and is now sharing the responses from the six major parties.

“The answers provided offer a fascinating insight into how Outdoor Recreation is valued by the different parties,” said NZRA Chief Executive Andrew Leslie.

A full list of questions and responses is available here: http://bit.ly/NZRAelection

NZRA is politically neutral and does not provide a ranking of the answers. It does not provide guidance to its members as to whom to vote for.

“We do however, encourage people to think carefully about how policies could enhance or detract from a strong recreation industry that meets the needs of current and future participants, so that through recreation, New Zealanders are active, healthy, and connected,” he said.

“It is pleasing to see such wide support for an increase in funding for DoC. It manages one third of New Zealand’s land mass and at least half of all New Zealanders visit Public Conservation Land on an annual basis. DoC is a major player in the Outdoor Recreation sector and needs more funding to foster recreation,” he acknowledged.

“Freshwater is rightly a hot topic in this year’s election. We are pleased to see that a majority of parties support the notion that the National Policy Statement on Freshwater should have a specific policy on Recreational Access”.

“Freshwater is not simply a trade-off between environmental and economic interests. Access to Freshwater for recreational purposes is fundamental to the kiwi way of life,” he stated.

Not all the answers provided were as pleasing to NZRA, though.

“We encourage Parties to seek counsel from those involved in Outdoor Recreation and heed their advice on policy matters. We also encourage those involved in the Outdoor Recreation sector to peruse these responses and make their own judgements, before casting their ballot,” he noted.

ENDS

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