The Outdoor Access Code

Outdoor Access Code is a set of guidelines for accessing and enjoying outdoor spaces in New Zealand. It explains how people can access these areas in a responsible and respectful manner while considering the safety and welfare of others and the environment.

The code covers topics such as obtaining permission to access private land, being considerate of landowners and other users, respecting cultural values and heritage sites, and taking care not to damage or disturb the natural environment. It also provides guidance on activities like camping, hunting, fishing, and horse riding.

The code promotes responsible and sustainable outdoor recreation while protecting the rights and interests of landowners, the environment, and other users.

Read the Outdoor Access Code online

The Outdoor Access Code (pdf)

Outdoor access rights and responsibilities flyer (pdf)

For the public

New Zealand has stunning rivers, mountains, lakes, forests and beaches. But not all have public access. Before you walk, fish, hunt or ride, check where you can go and what you’re allowed to do.

Be responsible 

Outdoor access to both public and private land comes with obligations: 

Your obligations                    

• Take responsibility for your actions
• Follow any reasonable advice offered
• Consider and respect other people
• Care for the environment
• Seek permission for access to private or Māori land
• Learn and respect tikanga Māori
• Know how to plan a safe trip – on the Mountain Safety Council website
• Be aware of natural hazards and weather
• Keep a safe distance from farm or other machinery
• Get permits for hunting and fishing

Māori relationships with land 

Whaia nga tapuwae o ngā tūpuna 

Māori land does not generally have public access rights, so you need to seek permission from the owners or those authorised by them. Learn and follow the relevant tikanga (protocol). Cultural offence may be caused by haere pokanoa (unauthorised wandering).  

• Respect taonga, including wāhi tapu (sacred places)
• Comply with rāhui (restrictions) and practices

Seeking permission may not be straightforward. You may need the help of the local Māori Land Court, tribal authorities and Maori Land Online to identify property boundaries, owners and appropriate contacts.

Take care

Respect other people’s property 

• Leave gates as you find them – open or closed
• Walk around, rather than through, crops
• Report damage, stock in difficulty, or anything suspicious to the land manager
• Do not disturb stock. Walk in single file
• Do not climb unsupported fence wires – in the absence of a gate or stile, climb over at posts
• Do not block or obstruct gateways, tracks or entrances
• Do not feed farm animals

Limit outdoor fire risk          

• Make sure you fully extinguish fires
• Be aware of closed fire seasons
• Do not light fires without permission

Care for the environment

• Take your litter home. Bury toilet waste away from waterways or carry it out in a compostable bag
• Do not disturb stock or damage vegetation, wildlife, historic places, pasture or crops

Be aware

• Make room for others
• If biking or horse-riding, control your speed
• If farm animals are on the road, drive slowly, keep left and wait for them to move away

Consider others

Motor vehicles

Motor vehicles can be much more intrusive than walking or cycling: 

• Make sure you say you will use a motor vehicle when you seek permission
• Even where access with vehicles is legally allowed, such as on an unformed legal road, it is polite to inform the adjacent landholder
• Keep strictly to formed tracks and do not cause damage
• If a legal road is blocked, for example, by a locked gate, report this to the council

Dogs                     

If you have permission to take your dog with you, keep it under control: 

• Keep your dog on a short lead or under close control around farm animals
• Pick up and remove your dog’s faeces
• If you take your dog onto sheep farms, you should get it dosed for sheep measles
• Do not let your dog frighten other people
• Do not let your dog disturb birds or wildlife

Firearms                  

Even though you may have a legal right to carry a firearm in a particular place, recognise how others may feel: 

• Get permission before shooting
• Always observe the Firearms Safety Code

Land managers                           

If you have authority as a landowner or manager to grant access to land: 

• Respond reasonably when people ask permission for access. Explain the reasons for any conditions
• Respect people’s rights to public access, such as the use of unformed legal roads and marginal strips
• Unformed legal roads may be unsurfaced, unfenced and indistinguishable from surrounding land, but they still have the legal rights and obligations of formed roads
• Advise visitors of out-of-the-ordinary hazards from farm activities, such as tree felling or blasting 
• Work with your local council and others to help manage access issues and safety
• Respect sites of Māori cultural significance such as wāhi tapu. Work with iwi and hapū
• Work with recreation groups and local authorities to help everyone behave with care

Get permission 

If land is fenced off or appears to be private and there are no signs indicating access, then ask for permission. 

There may be valid reasons for land managers to deny access, such as lambing or mustering. Accept refusals with good grace. 

If you want to use a vehicle, or take a dog or firearm, make this clear when seeking permission. 

You can view many areas of legal public access via our online maps.

Tracks on maps (including the NZ Topographic map 1:50,000 series) are not necessarily public.