Prior to becoming a permanent DOC ranger , i had served about 4 or 5 years(1991 on ) as a voluntary Hut Warden in the Tarrys.
There were two or three of us volunteers initially, locals , and fairly up to speed with , huts , tracks ,tramping times etc in the area.The Programme Manager who looked after us was a really good man,related well to all , and gave us plenty of encouragement and good advice . He also provided food and transport to and from the hills, picked us up when a tod (tour of duty ) was completed.We also got very good training , radio, first aid, pr, etc and he always made sure we had the right gear and a weather report every day we were in the hills.It was a very good system, never had any probs with payments or tickets, although dogs could cause all sorts of problems; well not the dogs , but their owners did.
When i became a Ranger , the responsibility of hut wardens became mine; in general the hand picked locals were the best, for obvious reasons, they knew the area, were familiar with weather and its uncertainty, and usually knew each other.
However a change in senior management brought a change of thinking (or a rush of blood to the head, may be a better term).As a result the system which had worked well in general for the best part of ten/twelve years was suddenly discontinued, and no wardens were present at all in the Eastern Tararuas for a fair while.
Hut Wardens are usually the first to know if a SAR situation arises in the area, can be helpful in these situations for radio contact etc, are a useful presence in a hut to deter vandalism , and do odd simple tasks like keeping bogs clean.The scenario i paint is from a DOC point of view.
From the user point of view, Hut Wardens can be seen as "an official" rep of the organisation , DOC, and can be open to criticism if they cannot establish a rapport with visitors.
I have had many "discussions " with trampers and hunters over the years, but never an argument; and on only one occasion did i have cause to dismiss a Hut warden for misconduct.
I was very particular about who i engaged as a Hut Warden,
honesty, integrity and the ability to get on with people were foremost in interviewing prospective wardens; majority of the time the right person was taken on and the tyre kickers shown the door ,in a nice way!