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Conservation Act 1987

Conservation areas

13: Conservation areas may be closed

You could also call this:

“The government can close parks and special areas to keep them safe or protect the environment.”

The Minister can close a conservation area to the public by notice. You can’t enter a closed area unless the Director-General says you can. The Minister can close an area for conservation purposes, if a strategy or plan says so, or if it’s needed to protect a natural or historic resource. The Minister can also close an area if it’s not safe for the public or if there’s an emergency. When an area is closed, the Director-General must tell the public about it and why it’s closed. A notice to close an area is secondary legislation, which means it has to follow certain rules, you can learn more about these rules in Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019. The notice takes effect as soon as it’s made, even if it’s not published yet.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM104265.

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Part 3 Conservation areas

13Conservation areas may be closed

  1. The Minister may, by notice,—

  2. if requested to do so under section 24H(7) or if any conservation management strategy or conservation management plan relating to any conservation area provides for its closure in whole or in part for conservation purposes, to public entry, close the area or any part of it to public entry in accordance with the strategy or plan; and
    1. to the extent only that the conservation of any natural or historic resource of a conservation area for which there is no conservation management strategy or conservation management plan requires the closure of the area to public entry, close the area to public entry; and
      1. for reasons of public safety or emergency close any conservation area to public entry;—
          1. and during the closure no person not authorised to do so by the Director-General shall remain in or enter the area.

        1. For so long as a conservation area is closed under subsection (1), the Director-General shall take all reasonable steps to ensure that members of the public are made aware of the closure and the reasons for it.

        2. A notice under this section—

        3. is secondary legislation (see Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019 for publication requirements); and
          1. comes into force when it is made, even if it is not yet published.

            Notes
            • Section 13(1): amended, on , by section 3 of the Secondary Legislation Act 2021 (2021 No 7).
            • Section 13(1)(a): substituted, on , by section 7(1) of the Conservation Law Reform Act 1990 (1990 No 31).
            • Section 13(1)(b): amended, on , by section 7(2) of the Conservation Law Reform Act 1990 (1990 No 31).
            • Section 13(3): inserted, on , by section 3 of the Secondary Legislation Act 2021 (2021 No 7).