FMC Calls for Care in Molesworth Recreation Reserve Concession Process

Federated Mountain Clubs has submitted feedback on the concession tender process currently underway for the Molesworth Recreation Reserve, one of New Zealand’s most significant backcountry destinations and an area of diverse and growing recreational use.

When the government vested Molesworth as a recreation reserve in 2005, it came with a clear principle: recreation opportunities must be enhanced.

A new Molesworth Management Plan has not yet been approved, and FMC is concerned that a long-term concession granted before that plan is in place could end up being a poor fit for the reserve’s future management, or that a future plan could end up being shaped around the concession rather than the other way around.

We also note that the current concession has, over time, enabled spatial and temporal exclusions from parts of Molesworth that have caused growing public concern as recreational use has increased. FMC urges that a new concession process be undertaken with care and with public visibility of that care.

FMC’s feedback makes clear that any concession at Molesworth should:

• Be consistent with the Reserves Act’s emphasis on open spaces and outdoor recreation
• Not pre-empt or constrain the outcomes of a future Molesworth Management Plan
• Reflect the increasing recreational use of the reserve and the need to enhance, not limit, public access

You can read our feedback here. We will continue to keep members updated as we know more.

Image: Eddie Holmes