National Parks Act 1980

Offences

71: Removal and disposal of abandoned boats and vehicles, and vehicles parked in prohibited places

You could also call this:

"Rules for removing and getting rid of forgotten boats and vehicles in national parks"

If you leave a boat or vehicle in a national park for more than a month without permission, it might be considered abandoned. If this happens, or if you park your vehicle in a place where you're not allowed to, someone from the Department can move it to a special place.

If your vehicle is moved, you'll have to pay for the cost of moving it. You might also have to pay for parking if it was moved to a parking area.

You have two months to get your vehicle back and pay what you owe. If you don't do this, the Minister might decide to sell or destroy your vehicle. Before doing this, they will try to let you know by putting a notice in the newspaper or sending you a letter.

If you want your vehicle back, you need to pay all the costs and take it away before the time in the notice runs out. If you don't do this, the Minister can sell your vehicle to someone else or have it destroyed.

If the vehicle is sold, the money goes to the government. It's put into a special bank account and used for things related to national parks.

Remember, if you leave your boat or vehicle in a national park for more than a month without permission, it can be treated as if you've abandoned it.

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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=DLM38513.

Topics:

Environment and resources > Conservation

70A: Sentence of community work, or

"You might have to do work for your community if you break national park rules"

71A: Relationship with other offences, or

"You can still be charged with other crimes even if you break this law"

Part 7Offences

71Removal and disposal of abandoned boats and vehicles, and vehicles parked in prohibited places

Any officer or employee of the Department who has reasonable cause to believe that any boat or vehicle has been abandoned in a park may remove it or cause it to be removed to any place authorised by the Minister for that purpose.
Where the Minister has appropriated any part of a park for parking of vehicles, any officer or employee of the Department may remove to any place so appropriated any vehicle that is parked on any part of the park where the parking of vehicles is prohibited.
Where any vehicle is so removed, the owner or other person in charge of the vehicle shall be liable to the Crown for the cost of removing the vehicle and for the charges that, under bylaws made under this Act, would be payable for the use of that parking space if the vehicle had been parked there by the owner or other person in charge.
Unless, within 2 months after the date on which a vehicle is removed under subsection (1) or subsection (2), the owner or some other person removes the vehicle from the park or other place where it is stored and pays to the Minister on behalf of the Crown the cost of removing and storing it under subsection (1) or, as the case may be, the cost of removing it under subsection (2) and the parking charges payable under that subsection, then,—
if the vehicle—the Minister may give not less than 14 days' notice by advertisement in 2 issues of a newspaper circulating in the district in which the park is situated, of his intention to sell or destroy the vehicle:
1. is not a motor vehicle; or
2. is a motor vehicle and no licence to use the vehicle for the current licensing year is affixed to it,—
if—the Minister may give not less than 14 days' notice to the person last registered under Part 17 of the Land Transport Act 1998 in respect of the vehicle of his intention to sell or destroy the vehicle.
1. the vehicle is a motor vehicle; and
2. a licence to use the vehicle for the current licensing year is affixed to it,—

Any notice under subsection (4)(b) may be given by personal delivery to the person in question, or by posting it to him by registered letter addressed to him at his last known place of residence or business in New Zealand.
Unless, before the expiry of the notice given under subsection (4), the owner of the vehicle—
pays to the Minister on behalf of the Crown the cost of removing and storing the vehicle under subsection (1), or, as the case may be, the cost of removing it under subsection (2) and the parking charges payable under that subsection, and, in either case, the cost of any advertisements published under this section; and
removes the vehicle from the park or other place to which it was removed,—

The proceeds of the sale of any vehicle sold in accordance with this section shall be the property of the Crown and shall be paid into a Crown Bank Account and applied under section 57 as if it were money received under this Act.
For the purposes of this section, and without limiting the meaning of the term abandoned, a boat or vehicle shall be deemed to have been abandoned if it is left unused for a period of more than 1 month without the approval of the Minister.
In this section expressions defined in the Land Transport Act 1998 have, in relation to any motor vehicle, the meanings so defined.

Notes

Section 71(4)(b): amended, on 1 May 2011, by section 35(4) of the Land Transport Amendment Act 2009 (2009 No 17).
Section 71(5): amended, on 1 May 2011, by section 35(4) of the Land Transport Amendment Act 2009 (2009 No 17).
Section 71(7): amended, on 25 January 2005, pursuant to section 83(7) of the Public Finance Act 1989 (1989 No 44).
Section 71(9): amended, on 1 May 2011, by section 35(4) of the Land Transport Amendment Act 2009 (2009 No 17).
Section 71(9): amended, on 1 March 1999, by section 215(1) of the Land Transport Act 1998 (1998 No 110).