Conservation parks outnumber national parks by more than two to one, boast a greater number of huts and tracks, contain magnificent landscapes and rare ecosystems and offer fascinating human histories. Yet they are in the shadow of national parks and don’t enjoy the same level of protection or prestige.
For many people, even trampers, the term ‘conservation park’ doesn’t really resonate. What are they? When were they formed?
Let’s go back to 1952. New Zealand had just four national parks (Tongariro, Egmont, Arthur’s Pass and Abel Tasman), managed by the Department of Lands and Survey. In a spirit of post-war enthusiasm, new national park legislation that year led to a rush of park formation. Within 12 years, the number of national parks had rocketed to 10.
The other government agency then in charge of managing native forests and mountain lands was the New Zealand Forest Service. In parallel to the boom in national parks, NZFS managers decided to create their own park system, which became known as ‘forest parks’.
The first, formed in 1954, was Tararua Forest Park, followed by Craigieburn in 1957. The concept grew until the number peaked at 21. Forest parks differed from national parks: they had a lower level of protection, often included exotic tree plantations and allowed a greater range of uses, including the option of taking your dog along.
Change came in 1987 when the Department of Conservation was formed out of the ashes of Lands and Survey and the Forest Service. The Conservation Act of 1987 established a framework for creating ‘conservation parks’. Under the Act, forest parks legally became conservation parks. Since then inconsistency, change and confusion have all eroded the forest park brand. In 1995 Northwest Nelson, the largest forest park, became Kahurangi National Park. While the ‘forest park’ name persisted at Tararua, Ruahine, Kāweka and Kaimanawa, other parks got new names: notably, Whirinaki Te-Pua-a-Tane Conservation Park and Catlins Coastal Rainforest Conservation Park.
Beginning in the late 1990s, DOC opened several new conservation parks - largely out of crown lands retired from farming in the South Island high country. These new parks span the eastern mountain country of the South Island from Kaikōura to the Eyre Mountains in Southland and encompass great open tussock landscapes and high mountains. They often feature old farm tracks and historic musterinq huts.
The most recently formed was Aotea Conservation Park on Great Barrier Island, the first in
