Should NZ's Great Walks be privately-run?

The report itself seems to be announced at https://tia.org.nz/news-and-updates/industry-news/new-news-item-2/ . I can only see an Executive Summary, but it makes almost no mention of Great Walks and doesn't indicate anything about privatising. Presumably the actual report suggests some kind of privatisation, but I reckon the critics (in Kathryn Ryan's interview) are probably going to be right. It has the style of a straw man that's been placed in there so it can be knocked down as a feigned compromise for justifying other things getting accepted. Lobbying 101: On principle you'll never get everything, so ensure there are a few relatively absurd things in there to make everything else look more reasonable. Politicians like it too, because it makes it easy to look like they're rejecting a few things and making a compromise, even if they're things that weren't seriously wanted anyway. My wife says she always brought back a present for Customs when she returned to NZ from South America, just so they could satisfy themselves they'd confiscated something. Same concept.

Yes, I've seen this tactic used quite frequently by the government. Suggest something ridiculous which has all the liberal left in a tizz and then never implement it but slip something else pernicious through.

I know its being looked at but the question has already been asked about what is being privatised. Is it the track the huts the whole section of national park or is it just a monopoly concession? Chances are we will still be able to use the unformed track 5 meters to the left of the real one

Nobody knows because the report doesn't seem to be public. The whole Great Walk Privatisation thing seems to be derived from an RNZ headline, which might be based on substance but the substance hasn't been shown. But it's also just a report from the tourism industry that's suggesting a heap of stuff, and the government's just going to consider it because it's been submitted. Nothing's actually being done at this time. There's a bit more in the linked Kathryn Ryan interview. It sounds as if they're suggesting businesses should be allowed to run car parks and huts and toilets and whatever, maybe have more input into how the tracks are developed, and presumably charge for it all. It's hard to tell without access to the actual document!

on the routeburn, like the milford and hollyford tracks , you have privately owned companies guiding walkers and they have their own huts on the track.. is this a precursor for them to expand or take over the DOC hut administration? on the routeburn the guided huts are right next to DOC huts... DOC can plead poverty, that they cant afford to put more money into the tracks, private company comes to the rescue to save them.... the great walks doc huts down there sell out well in advance over summer, there are more people that could be accommodated overnight if the huts were expanded... although on the aspiring side of the routeburn, the park mgmt plan forbids further accommodation expansion, but that didnt stop a recent doubling of the accommodation of the private huts on teh routeburn, doc have spent a fortune continually upgraded the routeburn track smoothing it over, widening it, putting in stairs. Why? when its running at a massive lost and DOC are starved of funds? massive quantities of gravel have been helicoptered onto the routeburn, turning it into a footpath...

We had a talk at tramping club recently by one of the Doc gurus. It wasnt said in so many words but I got the impression that private industry was driving this idea. His thoughts were that the biggest single expense was graveling the track followed closely by emptying the loos. He said if they want to take over these expenses and can turn a dollar good luck to them. However I suspect he believed they hadnt factored in the costs of maintaining the tracks etc. Its all or nothing. Wouldnt we love to set up a business where we can do what we do and make money when a large chunk of costs is picked up and paid for by someone else (in this case Doc)

Radio NZ discussion http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/201827339/privatising-the-great-walks

"However I suspect he believed they hadnt factored in the costs of maintaining the tracks etc. Its all or nothing." That'd also be interesting given section 49 of the NPA specifically makes it unlawful for either the government or any concessionaire to charge for use of a path or track. http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1980/0066/latest/whole.html#DLM38217 Other facilities are okay, as long as the appropriate permission has been granted. Sure, they can factor its expense into costs into prices for other facilities, but they can't charge random people for walking on a track they maintain without using the facilities. I guess you'd be looking at a continuation of the camping bylaws, through which the Minister makes it impractical to reach many places unless you're paying [some exorbitant fee] to stay in provided accommodation. Seriously, though, Great Walks were never intended to make a profit. Go back to the 90s and a primary purpose was to attract the masses to specific places where all those people and their negative effects could be more efficiently managed. Ultimate Hikes charges $2080 per person to walk the Milford Track. How would a private setup handle Great Walks in a profitable way without either reducing the incentive for masses to visit (eg reducing maintenance), or by increasing prices to the extent that the masses go elsewhere to a greater degree than is already happening? I suppose this mystical document explains it.

a private company may try and increase the no's of people they let onto the walks and stay overnight.. i wonder if they include the money they make for guided day walkers on the great walks. and shuttle companies may have to pay for every person they bring into a park as they do at tongariro, but that may be because the carpark is inside the national park the tongariro crossing is part of the tongariro northern circuit great walk, i doubt the crossing runs at a loss with all the concession fees being paid on the tens of thousands of day walkers being dropped off by shuttle buses and guided walkers concessions being paid... how and why is it doc can funnel so much funds onto the great walks when they are losing so much money on them? theres a massive amount of track maintenance to keep the tracks up to the standard they are at and $300k is spent on removing sewerage... certain walks get promoted and hammered, but nearby walks of comparable scenery may get very low numbers on them... key summit is crawling with thousands of people a day in summer... but theres several other day walks in the area that get very few visitors. i've done a few of them, and on some saw hardly any people or no one at all...