The Taranaki Daily News has an interesting story about happenings in Egmont National Park. One of the guides there is concerned about fitness groups and personal trainers arranging summit walks up the mountain, allegedly illegally if they don’t have concessions and are effectively acting as guides.
At least one of the accused guides has responded by saying she stresses that she’s not guiding, and the walk is open to anybody.
Much of the article focuses on the safety aspects of guiding on the mountain without necessarily having the type of experience and background that a concession holder might be required to have. That’s a fair enough point because it’s the main concern the guide has. I do, however, find the legal side of this to be at least as interesting.
The part of the law in question isn’t strictly about safety, and guiding has nothing directly to do with it. It’s about commercial activities in parks, and whether a concession is required from the Department of Conservation.
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