Parks and Privatization

On 8 November 2008, New Zealanders will be going to the polls. Conservation and National Parks have come up in election debate. Comments made by the National Party indicate that there may be talk of privatizing National Parks. The current Labour government, understandably, has been very critical of this position. A brief examination of the National Party's environmental policy reveal that one of their goals is more community and private involvement in conservation. This includes conservation on private land along with involvement of the private sector in public conservation areas. Currently it is not uncommon for concessionaires to operate within National Parks in New Zealand. Also, the Department of Conservation (DOC) has a large number of volunteer programs and many New Zealanders regularly participate in conservation projects as private individuals or through organizations (eg. the Eastbourne Forest Rangers).

Please see:
Labour Party. "Protecting our native heritage for all." 6 November 2008.
Smith, Nick. "2008: Conservation." NZ National Party, 19 September 2008.