New Zealand Huts Department of Conservation, Part D:
New Zealand Great Walks: tourism and policies
by Sam Demas
(Note: this is part of the larger work New Zealand Huts: Notes towards a Country Study)
The nine New Zealand Great Walks, with a total of 33 huts among them, are a lightning rod for the national discussion about changing conceptions and practices of human relationship with the wild. Rightly or wrongly, the Great Walks are frequently featured in the discourse when concerns are voiced about DoC’s management of huts generally, its priorities, and where New Zealand is going with its hut system.
Is the nation pandering to tourism at the expense of traditional Kiwi recreational values and birthrights? Are business interests over-riding conservation of and domestic rights of access to the conservation estate? Is DoC enforcing a level of standardization and commercialization that takes diminishes the hut experience and the magic of traditional tramping? How can the government ensure fair and equitable pricing and access policies for Kiwi trampers while dealing with the pressures of mass tourism? These are controversial matters, as much in the realm of opinion as of fact. I don’t have firm opinions or all the facts. See User perceptions of Great Walks Huts and Serviced Huts for a summary of user perceptions, which goes deeper into the controversies engendered by these higher amenity huts.