Conservation Minister Tama Potaka has announced $1 million from the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy to upgrade tracks and campgrounds around Tarawera and Ōkataina. The investment will reopen the Eastern Ōkataina Walkway and support improvements across more than 22 kilometres of tracks and three campgrounds, enhancing visitor facilities and addressing safety issues following the 2021 rockfall that closed the walkway.
The upgrades will include work on the Eastern Ōkataina Walkway, Northern Tarawera Track, Tarawera Falls Track, Humphries Bay Campsite, and Te Tapahoro Campground. Local iwi and trusts, including Ngāti Rangitihi, Tūhourangi, Ngāti Tarāwhai, Ruawahia 2B Trust, and the Lake Ōkataina Scenic Reserve Board, will play a key role in shaping the future of the area and its visitor experiences.
The project will also contribute to biodiversity efforts, including wallaby control, supporting wider conservation goals. Minister Potaka highlighted that the initiative demonstrates why reforms to conservation legislation are needed, pointing to the Conservation Amendment Bill currently before Parliament.
He explained that outdated processes have slowed investment in tracks, huts, campgrounds, and visitor infrastructure for too long. The reforms aim to cut unnecessary delays while maintaining strong environmental protections and reinvesting back into conservation, ensuring practical upgrades like these can be delivered more efficiently in the future.
