New report reveals state of nation’s outdoor access

People who enjoy getting outdoors have a new way to monitor their access to it – and, if they wish, to help make that access better.

The Outdoor Access Commission, Herenga ā Nuku Aotearoa, has today published its inaugural “state of the nation”-style report, State of Public Outdoor Access 2026.

State of Public Outdoor Access 2026

Chief executive Dan Wildy says the report is significant, as the first annual opportunity for people to examine whether the access we have to New Zealand’s outdoors is as free, certain, enduring, practical and inclusive as it should be.

“This is crucial, because public outdoor access is good for mental and physical health, wellbeing, community connections, the environment and the economy.”

Public access wins

The baseline created by the report is an important step toward safeguarding and enhancing public access for future generations. Wildy says.

“It invites all of us—government agencies, councils, tangata whenua, landowners, and community groups—to consider where we can work together to improve access.”

Recent successes identified in the report include:

• An economic boom from the growth of cycleways
• The signing of the Department of Conservation’s Hunting and Fishing Charter
• Access wins at a grassroots level thanks to locals working together
• The rebuilding of the Commission’s mapping system to provide a much more comprehensive, accurate and detailed view of where public access exists.

On cycleways, the report notes an increase in the development of networks of trails for regions or towns, and the connection of existing trails across council areas and regions.

An example is the Waikato region, where local trails for walking and cycling, targeting both overseas and domestic tourists, have developed in towns from Thames to Taupō, along the Waikato River and through the biodiverse wilderness of Pureora Forest Park.

In terms of public access wins occurring one by one in local communities, rather than resulting from a single national strategy or policy change, an example is forestry company OneFortyOne New Zealand Limited. It has established regular meetings with the Tasman, Nelson, and Marlborough outdoor recreation communities to ensure improved public access into the Mount Richmond Forest Park.

Regarding maps, the Pocket Maps app has been particularly successful.

Users can view outdoor access maps online with an internet connection and download them to view offline, while out in the wild.

Explore our new Public Access Maps

Detailed data

Among the data in the report is that while the North Island has about three-quarters of New Zealand’s population, it has only about a quarter of its publicly accessible land.

Another example is that South Island and Stewart Island also have 61% of the country’s unformed legal roads or “paper roads” — an essential source of permanent legal public access.

The purpose of including this type of information is to encourage New Zealanders to think and act on where public access needs enhancement, Wildy says.

“We can’t change the fact that Auckland, for example, doesn’t border Fiordland. But when we have a clear picture of where the demand for public access is, we can see where best to focus our efforts.”

The Pukekohe Five Summits Walk is a notable example of a local community group working to create important public access for its large urban population, he says.

Read more: Pukekohe Five Summits Walk

The level of data in the report is unique, Wildy says.

“It’s the first time we have collated and published in one place details such as how much of New Zealand is State-owned land (44%), and then how much of that is publicly accessible conservation land (66.6%), reserves (7 %), formed roads (2.1 %), and unformed legal roads (0.9 %).”

The report breaks down the data by region, which is also a first for the Commission.

Some examples of regional insights are:

• Auckland is the region with the highest percentage of land in private hands (80%)
• West Coast is the region with the largest area of publicly accessible conservation land (1,864,204 ha)
• Otago is the region with the largest area in unformed legal roads (16,899 ha).

Challenges

The report also initiates a discussion about addressing public access challenges.

One challenge is that some publicly accessible land is not visible on digital maps because it is only recorded on physical survey maps, which have not yet been added to the digital cadastre.

Another is the lack of a national framework and fund specifically designed to assess and acquire public access. With this type of focus, easements or covenants could be secured, enhancing the reach and value of outdoor access for all to enjoy.

“Over the years to come, we want iterations of this report to help New Zealanders find ways to rise to these and other types of public access challenges,” Dan Wildy says.

Opportunities

The report concludes with suggestions for how New Zealanders can continue to support public access.

These include giving local communities more control over their walkways, exploring the enhancement of public access through investment processes, promoting public access in forests, and digitising more public access parcels.

Response

The response to the report has been positive. Fish & Game New Zealand, for example, called it a “crucial step toward protecting and enhancing access for anglers and game bird hunters.”

“You can’t measure what you don’t monitor, and you can’t protect what you can’t measure,” said Fish & Game’s chief operating officer Richie Cosgrove.

“This report represents a vital first step in ensuring future generations can continue to enjoy the outdoor traditions that are part of what it means to be a New Zealander.”

He said the report’s findings align closely with Fish & Game’s own recent licence-holder survey, which confirmed that access remains the top priority for anglers and hunters across the country.

Nearly one in five respondents reported experiencing blocked access in the past 12 months, with 20.2% noting their access had reduced over their time as licence-holders.

“The Outdoor Access Commission’s work in mapping public access areas and identifying gaps in our knowledge is exactly the kind of transparent, evidence-based approach we need,” Cosgrove said.

Explore the report: State of Public Outdoor Access 2026
Participate: Would you like to provide feedback on the report, get involved in local projects to enhance public access, or contribute in any other way? Contact us: media@herengaanuku.govt.nz