Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

National Parks Act 1980

Offences

60: Offences in parks

You could also call this:

"Things you're not allowed to do in national parks"

You can get in trouble if you do certain things in a national park without permission from the Minister. These include:

Letting your animals go into the park or bringing animals into the park.

Planting anything or putting harmful things in the park that could hurt plants or animals.

Taking or damaging plants, stones, minerals, protected objects, or old things in the park.

Digging up or damaging the grass in the park.

Using park land for growing things or other purposes.

Damaging fences, buildings, or equipment in the park.

Hurting native animals or disturbing their nests or eggs.

Putting up buildings, signs, or equipment in the park.

Doing activities in the park that need special permission.

Messing with or damaging natural or historic things in the park.

Not following the rules about aircraft in the park.

You can also get in trouble if you:

Don't remove your animals from the park when asked.

Don't move your vehicle, aircraft, or boat out of the park when a ranger tells you to.

Do things in the park without the right permission.

Change or remove signs, markers, or permits in the park.

If you take protected things from the park and then use or sell them, you're breaking the law.

It's also against the law to have chainsaws, guns, traps, or nets in the park without permission. You can't shoot guns in the park or shoot at things in the park from outside.

If you break these rules, you might have to pay for any damage you cause to the park. A judge will decide how much you have to pay.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM38282.

Topics:
Environment and resources > Conservation
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Part 7Offences

60Offences in parks

  1. Every person commits an offence against this Act who, without being authorised by the Minister (the proof of which shall be on the person charged) or by any bylaw made under this Act,—

  2. causes or allows any animal owned by him or under his control to trespass on any park; or
    1. takes any animal into or liberates any animal in any park; or
      1. plants any plant, or sows or scatters the seed of any plant, or introduces any substance that he knows or ought to have known is injurious to plant or animal life, in any park; or
        1. removes or wilfully damages any, or any part of, any plant, stone, mineral, gravel, kauri gum, protected New Zealand object, or relic in any park; or
          1. wilfully digs, cuts, excavates, or damages the turf in any park; or
            1. occupies or uses any land in a park for cultivation or any other purpose; or
              1. wilfully damages or defaces any fence, building, or apparatus in any park; or
                1. takes or destroys or wilfully injures or in any manner disturbs or interferes with any native animal or the nest or eggs of any native animal in any park; or
                  1. erects any building, sign, hoarding, or apparatus in any park; or
                    1. conducts in any park any activity for which a concession is required under this Act; or
                      1. in any way interferes with or damages the natural or historic features of any park; or
                        1. contravenes or fails to comply with section 51A.

                          1. Every person commits an offence against this Act who—

                          2. when required by notice from the Minister or the Director-General to remove from a park any animal owned by him or under his control, fails to do so within the period specified in the notice; or
                            1. being the driver of any vehicle or the pilot of any aircraft or the person in charge of any boat that is illegally in a park or part of a park, fails or refuses to remove it from the park or part of a park when required to do so by any ranger; or
                              1. without a concession or other right or authority, does or causes to be done any act, matter, or thing for which a concession or other right or authority is required by this Act; or
                                1. unlawfully alters, obliterates, defaces, pulls up, removes, interferes with, or destroys any boundary marks, or any stamp, mark, sign, poster, intentions book, concession, or other right or authority issued by the Minister or the Department.

                                  1. Every person commits an offence against this Act who uses, receives, sells, or otherwise disposes of any item specified in paragraph (d) or paragraph (h) of subsection (1) knowing it to have been removed unlawfully from any park.

                                  2. Every person commits an offence against this Act who, without being authorised by the Minister (the proof of which shall be on the person charged),—

                                  3. is in possession of any chainsaw or any firearm, trap, net, or other like object in a park; or
                                    1. discharges any firearm in a park; or
                                      1. from outside a park, shoots at any animal or any other object or thing inside the park with any firearm.

                                        1. Where any person is found discharging a firearm in contravention of subsection (4), section 61(6) shall apply in respect of that firearm in all respects as if it were illegally in the possession of that person in the park.

                                        2. Any person convicted of an offence under this section shall, in addition to any penalty for which he may be liable for the offence, be liable to pay the cost of repairing or restoring any damage done to the park, or to any plant or property growing or being in the park in the course of committing such an offence.

                                        3. Repealed

                                        4. For the purpose of subsection (6), the cost or value shall be assessed by a District Court Judge, and shall be recoverable in like manner as a fine.

                                        Notes
                                        • Section 60(1)(d): amended, on , by section 35 of the Protected Objects Amendment Act 2006 (2006 No 37).
                                        • Section 60(1)(j): replaced, on , by section 10(1) of the National Parks Amendment Act 1996 (1996 No 4).
                                        • Section 60(1)(l): inserted, on , by section 10(2) of the National Parks Amendment Act 1996 (1996 No 4).
                                        • Section 60(2)(a): amended, on , by section 65(1) of the Conservation Act 1987 (1987 No 65).
                                        • Section 60(2)(c): amended, on , by section 10(3)(a) of the National Parks Amendment Act 1996 (1996 No 4).
                                        • Section 60(2)(d): amended, on , by section 10(3)(b) of the National Parks Amendment Act 1996 (1996 No 4).
                                        • Section 60(7): repealed, on , by section 11(1) of the Conservation (Natural Heritage Protection) Act 2013 (2013 No 89).
                                        • Section 60(8): amended, on , by section 11(2) of the Conservation (Natural Heritage Protection) Act 2013 (2013 No 89).
                                        • Section 60(8): amended, on , by section 413 of the Criminal Procedure Act 2011 (2011 No 81).