Federated Mountain Clubs Calls on Key to give $8 Million of Tourism’s $158 Million to DOC
Trampers and mountaineers call on Prime Minister John Key to reduce the money he has promised the Tourism sector to attract wealthy tourists to New Zealand from $158 million to $150 million. The difference should be spent on the Department of Conservation so that they don’t have to cut back their work in the coming financial year and lay off staff, says Federated Mountain Clubs President, Robin McNeill.
“DOC staff must be feeling pretty gutted – here they are working themselves into the ground trying to look after the landscape, plants and animals that attract tourists to New Zealand knowing that their jobs are on the line because the DOC budget has been hit $8million this year, and then find that the Tourism sector has attracted this windfall”.
By underfunding DOC so that it can’t sustain our natural heritage, the Government is actually undervaluing Tourism, making it another unsustainable, extractive industry alongside mining, says Mr McNeill.
“For less than 1/3 of the amount promised to Tourism, Stewart Island could be made predator-free. Now, that really would attract tourists to New Zealand. Who wouldn’t want that?”.
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We’re excited to share the new FMC Executive Committee, taking office on June 1 2026.
For over ten years, FMC has been involved in efforts to protect the Waitaha River. FMC made its first submission opposing the scheme in 2016, celebrated it being declined in 2019, and has spent the past 12 months fighting for a voice through the Fast-Track process. Throughout it all, FMC has been advocating for the Waitaha, publicly and behind the scenes.
FMC has submitted on a proposed land exchange that would see 29.7 hectares of conservation land in the eastern Ruahine Forest Park swapped for 170 hectares of private land, to enable the construction of a dam and reservoir on the Makaroro River.
