National Parks Act 1980

Control and management of national parks - Powers of Minister

56: Bylaws

You could also call this:

"Rules for keeping national parks safe and enjoyable"

The Minister can make rules, called bylaws, for national parks. These rules must follow the park's management plan. The bylaws can do many things to help manage the park and keep people and nature safe.

You might see rules about how to use the park safely and protect plants and animals. There could be rules about which parts of the park you can visit and when. Sometimes, you might have to pay to use certain areas or facilities in the park.

The bylaws can also set rules for camping and picnicking, and how much it costs to use these areas. They can control where you can park your car or leave your boat. Some rules might limit the use of engines in the park.

If there's a special wilderness area in the park, there could be rules about going there. The Minister can also make rules about machinery used in the park and how aircraft can use the park.

If you break these rules, you might have to pay a fine. The fine could be up to $5,000 for most rules, but for rules about aircraft, it could be up to $10,000.

These bylaws can be for all national parks or just for some of them. When the bylaws are published properly, it means they're official. The bylaws are a type of law called secondary legislation.

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This page was last updated on 13 May 2025

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM38246.

Topics:

Environment and resources > ConservationGovernment and voting > Government departments

55: Roads within park, or

"Rules about roads in national parks"

56A: Restrictions in relation to dogs, or

"Dogs are usually not allowed in national parks"

Part 5Control and management of national parks
Powers of Minister

56Bylaws

The Minister may from time to time make bylaws that are not inconsistent with the management plan for any park for all or any of the following purposes:
the management, safety, and preservation of any park, and the safety and preservation of the native plants and animals in the park:
the safety and protection of the public using any parks:
excluding the public from any specified part or parts of any park:
prescribing the conditions on which persons shall have access to or be excluded from any park or any part of any park, or on which persons may use any building or facility in a park, and fixing charges for the admission of persons to any part of any park set apart for any specified purpose of public recreation and for the use of any such building or facility:
prescribing conditions for the use of camping sites, or picnic places in any park, and fixing charges for the use of any such camping sites, or picnic places:
prohibiting or regulating the use or parking of vehicles or the use or mooring of boats in any park:
setting apart and prescribing conditions and fixing charges for the use of parking areas within any park, and providing for the removal from any such area of any motor vehicle parked there in breach of any such condition:
prohibiting or regulating the use of any internal combustion engine in any park, whether or not that engine is the means of propulsion of any vehicle, boat, machinery, or appliance:
prescribing conditions on which persons may be permitted to enter or remain in any wilderness area within any park:
prescribing the safety devices to be fitted to any machinery or device operated in any park under the authority of any agreement, lease, or licence made or granted by the Minister, and regulating the operation and maintenance of such machinery or devices:
prohibiting the hovering over or landing of any aircraft on any part of a park:
prescribing conditions upon which operators and pilots in command of aircraft may land and take off or set down, pick up, or recover within any park any person, livestock, carcass, or article of any description:
prescribing fines, not exceeding $5,000 in any one case, for the breach of any bylaw made under paragraphs (a) to (j):
prescribing fines, not exceeding $10,000 in any one case, for the breach of any bylaw made under paragraphs (k) to (l).

Bylaws may be made under subsection (1) in respect of parks generally, or in respect of any 1 or more of those parks.
Publication of the bylaws in accordance with subsection (4) is conclusive evidence that the bylaws have been made under this section.
Bylaws under this section are secondary legislation (see Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019 for publication requirements).

Notes

Section 56(1): amended, on 28 October 2021, by section 3 of the Secondary Legislation Act 2021 (2021 No 7).
Section 56(1)(d): replaced, on 10 April 1990, by section 124 of the Conservation Law Reform Act 1990 (1990 No 31).
Section 56(1)(m): replaced, on 25 October 2013, by section 10 of the Conservation (Natural Heritage Protection) Act 2013 (2013 No 89).
Section 56(1)(n): replaced, on 25 October 2013, by section 10 of the Conservation (Natural Heritage Protection) Act 2013 (2013 No 89).
Section 56(3): amended, on 28 October 2021, by regulation 9 of the Legislation Act (Amendments to Legislation) Regulations 2021 (LI 2021/247).
Section 56(3): amended, on 28 October 2021, by section 3 of the Secondary Legislation Act 2021 (2021 No 7).
Section 56(4): inserted, on 28 October 2021, by section 3 of the Secondary Legislation Act 2021 (2021 No 7).