UnitedFuture believes that all New Zealanders have a birth right to enjoy our unique, diverse landscape. Our strong outdoor heritage is central to what it means to be a Kiwi.
UnitedFuture, while welcoming the establishment of the Walking Access Commission, does not consider the Commission has sufficient legislative authority to protect the right of access to public land. It needs more teeth.
Empowering the Walking Access Commission to advocate directly for public access rather than purely act as a mediator in relation to access negotiations as they do now.
Provide funding to introduce specific access corridors across private land by negotiating with landowners on a case-by-case basis (these corridors could in many instances be based on the ‘paper roads’ and easements that already exist on many legal property titles but are not always acknowledged by landowners) and allow the WAC to manage these corridors.
Establish a fund to compensate landowners up front for any damage that members of the public cause to their property (the land access agency can pursue offenders to recover the cost of fund pay-outs separately).
Maintain and strengthen the New Zealand Outdoor Access Code (via the WAC) that protects property rights and the rights of landowners from people trespassing beyond a legally established corridor, littering, leaving gates open or other nuisances
