"Managing recreation on public conservation land is a core function of the Department of Conservation (DOC) and uses about $53 million annually - one third of its budget. By providing the right sort of visitor facilities and services in the right places, DOC helps people enjoy New Zealand's natural and historic heritage and provides educational experiences."

The Department's planning and management policies relating to visitor services consider five key issues:

Selected Details:

"Goal 1: protection
To ensure that the natural and historic values of areas managed by the Department are not compromised by the impact of visitor activities and related facilities and services.

Goal 2: fostering visits
To manage a range of recreational opportunities to provide contact with New Zealand's natural and historic heritage; and provide a range of recreational and educational facilities and services consistent with the protection of the intrinsic natural and historic values of department-managed areas.

Goal 4: informing and educating visitors
To share knowledge about our natural and historic heritage with visitors, to satisfy their requirement for information, deepen their understanding of this heritage and develop an awareness of the need for its conservation."
Quotes from Department of Conservation Fact Sheet 1996: Visitor Strategy