CASE STUDIES

Hump Ridge Track1

Key issue(s) Well focussed facilitation and project management of community-based development initiatives can utilise local resources as a base for tourism development.

Integration of feasibility studies, EIA and resource consent applications, concession applications, project development and marketing and operation is necessary to complete community-based projects.

Development processes may require integration with the management of visitor facilities by third parties, as with Department of Conservation land and assets, and collaboration with Maori customary owners.

Background is a township in Western Southland which has a long associations with indigenous and plantation forestry, and sawmilling. The expansion of sawmilling around the beginning of the 20th century hastened the clearance of land for agriculture and opened up the district for settlement, so both mill work and farming defined the township’s role as a service centre for the district. The population grew rapidly over a short period in the early 1950's and then more slowly until 1966, peaking at 954. Then, with the exception of a short period of growth between 1976 and 1981, the population of the township declined to 681 in 2001.

The state was heavily involved in the management of indigenous forests in Southland but after the reorganisation of the Forest Service in 1987, plantation forests and stated-owned mills were sold to multinational companies. Local sawmilling operators were largely excluded and had to find alternative supplies of timber from private forest owners. Furthermore, some 100,000 ha of indigenous forests was moved from production to the conservation estate. Unable to secure enough wood supply, both of the major sawmill operators struggled to keep operating. The accompanying downturn in the local economy was exacerbated by declining dairy, beef and deer prices and reduced purchasing power of the farming community from the mid 1980s. Loss of stock and station companies, retail sales and banking further reduced employment opportunities around Tuatapere.

Tourism development in the 1990s was modest, until the Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track, located at the South East of National Park, opened in November 2001. The track is 53 km long, has two huts and takes three days to walk. It incorporates coastal walking, heritage viaducts, podocarp and beech forests, and sub-alpine settings, and includes national park and Maori (SILNA) land by agreement of the Maori landowners.

The concept of a track arose through a community project to fix the old viaducts. There was already a walking track along the coast to view them. The track was first discussed in the late 80s (the track proposal was noted in a study of issues and options for development of Fiordland in 1988). The community looked to tourism as an alternative to farming, and saw the Hump Ridge Track as an option for drawing on the natural and heritage resources of the area to get visitors to stay longer.

1 This case study provides an example of the application of some individual tools to specific issues. The case studies are not of themselves examples of a fully integrated approach as they preceded the development of the kete. Links to the individual tools have been added to illustrate how agencies and groups facing similar issues might draw on available tools. Case study Prepared March 2003, updated December 2006.

1 CASE STUDIES Hump Ridge Track

An early EIA was prepared in 1995/66 and the Hump Ridge Track Trust established. Funding and advice was provided by the Southland Community Trust and other government schemes including the Community Employment Group (CEG). In the first summer (2001-2) 3,200 people walked the track - a 46 percent occupancy rate for the huts. Of these 90 percent were Kiwi in the middle age/older bracket, the other 10 percent were enthusiast trampers from overseas. Economic spin offs from the Track include new accommodation in Tuatapere and the Track end, and spin offs for shops, crafts and galleries, providing diversification for the local economy.

Stakeholders ! Department of Conservation ! Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track Trust ! Tuatapere Information Centre ! SILNA (South Island Landless Natives Act) owners ! Southland District Council ! Visitors ! Tourism operators

Tools, models or approaches

Community based approach The track represents a community based approach (community tourism strategies , visioning ) to tourism development utilising natural and heritage resources. It was a community tourism project initiated in response to a series of economic shocks and loss of population from the area. While drive and leadership from the community were important, the project benefited from regional funding sources and advice from economic development agencies.

Interagency collaboration and national aprk management plan The track involves a community and Department of Conservation partnership, with a community trust operating facilities on Department of Conservation land. Aspects of the Draft Management Plan (Conservation Act Framework ) therefore come into play in managing the track and associated facilities, and limiting visitor numbers.

The Draft Management Plan recognises increased tourist activity in Fiordland and development of the Hump Ridge Track. The plan also recognises there is an urgent requirement to improve information bases and monitoring of visitor use and trends in the Park (monitoring ). It also recognises the importance of increased popularity of the Track for tourism and employment opportunities in Tuatapere.

Boundaries of wilderness areas are set so recreational use associated with the Track is not affected. Also, the boundary for high use track corridors will generally be 500 m either side of the Track. The visitor setting recognises that the hut and track systems associated with the Track will require more intensive management and greater resources than the backcountry setting. Huts are generally larger and more comfortable, track standards are usually higher. Access to the main tracks is relatively easy, supported by a network of concessionaires (concessions ). The plan recognises these overnight walking opportunities need to be protected to avoid conflict with other users such as anglers, hunters or day-trippers (conflict resolution ). The plan’s objectives are: to manage high use track corridors for optimum levels of use while protecting natural values and recognising the specific attributes of each and their value to less experienced walkers (social impact assessment ).

Restrictions on visitor numbers Restrictions on visitor numbers are achieved through a capacity limit - forty walkers can stay in one hut at a time - and use of a hut booking system (user charges ). A further restriction is that accommodation passes must be uplifted at the booking office in Tuatapere the day before departure on the Track - ensuring everyone has to visit Tuatapere.

2 CASE STUDIES Hump Ridge Track

Commentary One of the lessons that was learnt through the process of development of the track was that a community needs to focus early in an economic planning process on the ‘point of difference’ that gives them a competitive advantage. Local leadership is a vital factor, as is liaison with key agencies and funding sources.

The development process for a new project of this nature takes time - in this case over 10 years. Groups such as community trusts often lack the necessary expertise to take a project from idea to implementation and professional expertise in areas such as resource planning, project management and local capacity building can support and facilitate their plans.

Partnerships involving a community, Department of Conservation and Maori can operate visitor facilities on conservation lands, and can work together to establish and manage restrictions on visitor numbers through a system such as track passes, while creating necessary revenue.

Towards an integrated Approach While the Hump Ridge Track project has been outwardly successful in revitalising the community of Tuatapere, its longer-term sustainability is still to be proven taking into account the significant investment of financial and social capital that was required to build the track. Like any project, a community based initiative requires ongoing management, and in this case the community may need to consider the development of additional activities to support and enhance the experience provided by the track while adding income streams. An integrated approach will assist with future review and evaluation of the development of the track as well as provide potential mechanisms for increasing and enhancing sustainable tourist activity in the area.

References

Hump Ridge Track Trust. Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track: Footsteps in the Wilderness. Brochure.

Hump Ridge “Gateway to Heaven”. Business Monthly, November, 2001.

Community Spirit on Nature’s Edge. Article in Employment Matters - partially copied.

Fitzgerald, Gerard and Wayne McClintock (1998). Resource Community Formation and Change: a case Study of Tuatapere. Working Paper 8, Taylor Baines and Associates, Christchurch.

Kerr G. N.; Taylor C. N.; Kerr I. G. C. and Fitzgerald K. (1990). A study of the issues and options for the future of Fiordland. Unpublished report prepared for the Fiordland Promotion Association, Centre for Resource Management, Lincoln University.

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