Last chance to submit on national park plan reviews

The deadline is coming up for the public to provide feedback on the draft Aoraki/Mount Cook and Westland Tai Poutini national park management plans.

Public submissions on the draft plans close at 4pm on February 4 2019.

The draft plans outline how land, water, species, aircraft and visitors could be managed within the parks over the next 10 years.

The draft plans were developed after a pre-draft consultation process in which DOC sought the views of the public as to what they wanted to see included in the plans.

The two parks are internationally recognized for their exceptional natural values through their inclusion as part of the wider Te Wāhipounamu South West New Zealand World Heritage Area and the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve.

For Ngāi Tahu the parks are places of high cultural value and increased rūnaka representation and engagement in the parks is important.

Their international profile as a visitor destination continues to place pressure on the parks, and protecting the values within the parks while continuing to provide a quality visitor experience is a key consideration in the draft management plans.

Brent Swanson, Operations Manager for Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park says the views of the public are essential when developing management plans for the parks.

“Let us know if you think we have got our management plans right, or if there are areas that need to be amended. It is important to identify what you support in these plans as well as what you think needs to be changed.”

The draft plans can be viewed on the DOC website, along with information about making a submission at: www.doc.govt.nz/westland-review and www.doc.govt.nz/aoraki-mt-cook-plan-review.

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