Arbor Day planting at Battle Hill

Regional parks and forests are there to be enjoyed by people of and visitors to the Wellington region. Close to our cities and towns, they also provide for community, education, commercial and Tangata Whenua customary activities.

Each park has its own unique landscape and atmosphere, and a setting for everyone - whether that be open hillsides, dense forests or coastal dunes. We hope you will find a thoughtful balance between facilities for people and protection of the environment and heritage features of the parks and forests.

Enjoy a short or long walk or run, a mountain bike  or horse back ride and finish off with a picnic . Bring your tent and enjoy camping and swimming in several areas. Take your motorbike or join a club on a 4WD trip into the Akatarawa Forest.

The parks and forests are often used for community activities and events such as sports, clubs or social events. They host community fundraising events, group picnics and walking groups. Contact the park ranger if you would like to discuss events for your club or organisation.

You can also get involved in the parks through planting trees or volunteering for other activities.

The parks and forests are used extensively for education. Many school children visit them to learn about the environment or participate in planting days. Battle Hill Farm Forest Park has a Farm Visits programme, and guided school tours are available at Kaitoke Regional Park.

Many individuals and educational institutions also carry out research into the ecological or heritage values of the parks. Contact the relevant park ranger to discuss your project and see if we can assist.

Tangata Whenua sustain their culture, values and traditional knowledge through continually practising customary activities.

Customary practices of guardianship, stewardship and customary use of natural resources are part of the relationship that Tangata Whenua have with the land.

Greater Wellington works with Tangata Whenua to identify practical opportunities for the expression of customary practices and the sustainable management and use of the parks and forests.

Whether hunting, fishing or collecting natural materials for food or arts and crafts, the parks and forests provide for many social, recreational and cultural needs. All of these activities are managed using a permit system so that resources can be sustained for the environment and for future generations.

Please contact our Upper Hutt office if you wish to collect seeds to grow native plants. This is generally on a non-commercial basis, although we sometimes receive requests from commercial growers.

The regional parks and forests offer all kinds of opportunities for commercial operators, including tourism, filming and catering enterprises.

To manage the different activities and their effects, Greater Wellington operates a system of concessions and fees. A concession will give your organisation the legal right to offer a tourism or recreation service to visitors in a regional park or forest.

Do I need a concession?

You will need a concession from Greater Wellington if you are intending to do any of the following:

• Film (eg documentary, movie, commercial or photo shoot)
• Offer guided activities, including instances when the regional parks feature as part of a guided tour
• Conduct an event eg multi sport or mountain bike race
• Conduct a one-off activity involving site occupation or use
• Build a structure
• Use an existing building for commercial purposes
• Offer transport services
• Offer a hire service

Why do I have to pay fees?

Greater Wellington's philosophy of charging assumes the following:

• Structured commercial and non-commercial use of the parks normally involves additional GW services and/or privileges. GW believes that those who benefit directly from this use or occupation should contribute financially towards the associated costs. 
  
• Full or almost full cost recovery will apply to commercial use to avoid or minimise any ratepayer subsidy of private gain.
  
• Some activities eg endurance events, 4WD events, large movies result in more impacts than others. Charges and fees tend to reflect the additional GW resources needed to mitigate or avoid these impacts or repair damage.