New Zealand to charge foreign tourists up to NZ$40 at key natural sites

New Zealand will begin charging international tourists between NZ$20 and NZ$40 to access some of its most visited natural attractions, including Milford Track and Aoraki Mount Cook, starting in 2027. The move is aimed at boosting economic growth and reinvesting in conservation areas, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said in a speech on Saturday.

“These places are truly special to New Zealanders,” Luxon said. “I have heard many times from friends visiting from overseas their shock that they can visit some of the most beautiful places in the world for free. It’s only fair that at these special locations, foreign visitors make an additional contribution of between NZ$20 and NZ$40 per person.”

The sites under initial consideration include Cathedral Cove, Tongariro Crossing, Milford Sound, and Mount Cook, where international visitors make up as much as 80% of foot traffic. The new fee is expected to generate NZ$62 million annually, which will be reinvested into maintaining these high-traffic locations.


“There will be no charge for New Zealanders to access the conservation estate,” Luxon said. “It’s our collective inheritance and Kiwis shouldn’t have to pay to see it.”

According to The Guardian, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka said the government wants the funds to support long-term upkeep of the country’s major tourist destinations. “Those fees could generate NZ$62m a year so we can keep investing in the sites that underpin so much of our tourism sector,” Potaka told The Guardian.

As part of a broader shift in conservation policy, the government also plans to ease restrictions for commercial activities on conservation land. “In the spirit of saying yes to more jobs, more growth and higher wages,” Luxon told The Guardian, “we will unleash a fresh wave of concessions” across sectors such as tourism, agriculture, and infrastructure.

The government has also passed new laws this year to fast-track approvals for mining and infrastructure projects, and proposed legislative changes that would make it easier for companies to harm protected wildlife in certain cases, The Guardian reported.

The policy shift has drawn criticism from conservation groups and opposition parties. “That tells us everything we need to know about who he thinks he works for,” Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick told The Guardian. “It’s not regular people, future generations or a healthy environment.”

Forest & Bird chief executive Nicola Toki told The Guardian that the reforms “represent the most significant weakening of conservation law in a generation.” She added, “They shift the focus from protection to exploitation, dismantling the very purpose of our national parks and conservation lands.”