Access to OneFortyOne forests
Herenga ā Nuku Aotearoa has been working with forestry company OneFortyOne New Zealand to improve awareness about managing public access across its forests.
Plantation forests are dynamic businesses, and the public access situation can change quickly due to weather, economic reasons, fire risk or operational priorities. The important thing for outdoor recreationists is good communication so the public knows the situation and can make choices accordingly.
OneFortyOne has obtained legal advice that gives it greater confidence in understanding the risk associated with recreational access.
OneFortyOne has committed to opening all public access easements where no active forestry operations are occurring. Due to road damage, access on the Goulter and Kiwi Rd will be restricted to walking and cycling only.
To help people, DoC publishes the latest information about public access in its bulletin, and OneFortyOne publishes it on its website.
OneFortyOne public access easement access points all have signs stating if they are open or closed:
- When public access is closed during active forestry operations, the access gate will be open to allow for logging truck movements, but a large red sign will be displayed to indicate that access is closed to the public.
- If the public access easement is fully open, the gate will be open, and OneFortyOne will remove the red sign.
- If it’s foot/bicycle access only, then the large red sign won’t be there, and there will be a sign on the closed gate stating, “No vehicle access - entry by foot/bicycle only”.
Unfortunately, instances of unsociable behaviour have been reported in random places. However, with more responsible walkers and mountain bikers out there, we can all play a part in maintaining the safety and integrity of the forests. If you see anything suspicious, we urge you to report it to OneFortyOne via their hotline 0800 RING OFO, making you an integral part of the solution.