Contents
1.
Background
2
1.1 Purpose and scope
2
1.2 Introduction/Context
2
1.3 Compliance
4
1.4 Terms and definitions
4
1.5 Roles and responsibilities
5
2.
Criteria for implementing closures, recommendations and facility closures 7
2.1 Closures
7
2.2 Managing risk to visitors through recommendations and facility
closures/ booking cancellations
8
3.
Processes for assessing and notifying closures
9
3.1 Process for assessing and implementing closures
9
3.2 Notification requirements for closures
10
3.3 Responding to urgent situations
13
3.4 Assessing closures in situations where the extent of the damage and
risk is unknown
13
4.
Process for reopening following a temporary closure
13
4.1 Process for reopening
13
5.
Related documents
14
6.
Document history
14
under the Official Information Act
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1. Background
1.1
Purpose and scope
The purpose of this SOP is to explain how the decision to close a facility, track or area of public
conservation lands and waters (PCL&W) on the basis of visitor safety should be made, including
what types of hazards and level of risk would trigger a closure. The SOP also sets out the processes
for implementing such closures and how closures will be monitored/reviewed.
The SOP is intended to be used by operational staff who are managing visitor destinations on
PCL&W. It supports them to make consistent closure decisions that support DOC’s national
approach and meet legislative requirements for closures (including public notification)
The scope of this document is for closures driven by visitor safety concerns only. It
does not cover rahui (see more on this is section 1.2.4) nor closures for other purposes. Changes
to visitor groups and reclassification of tracks is also out of scope – find the process for
reclassifying tracks in Change Control Guidelines for Recreation Functional Locations and
Destinations (docDM-1569663).
The SOP is intended to be used during normal operating conditions. Closure decisions may be
made differently when under a regional or national state of emergency or under other special
emergency legislation.
1.2
Introduction/Context
There is a wide range of hazards found on PCL&W, such as adverse weather, flooding, volcanic
eruptions, and landslides. In some instances, hazards can generate a level of risk that cannot be
tolerated or mitigated, and closures of tracks/facilities/areas are necessary for public safety.
1.2.1 Legislative context
The Minister and Director-General of Conservation, and reserve commissioners, have the power
to close areas of PCL&W under the Conservation Act 1987, National Parks Act 1980, Reserves Act
1977 and Walking Access Act 2008, including for reasons of safety and emergency. This authority
under the Official Information Act
has been delegated to DOC.
The Conservation General Policy and General Policy National Parks both contain policies for
closures for visitor safety purposes. The policies recognise DOC may “notify the closure of a
national park or any part of a national park to public entry when it considers there to be imminent
danger to people or property that cannot reasonably be avoided by other means.”
At times areas of PCL&W function as a workplace (for example, for DOC staff undertaking track
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maintenance). In these instances, the Health and Safety and Work Act 2015 applies, and DOC is
obligated to identify and mitigate/eliminate the risks of its work to staff, contractors, or visitors.
1.2.2 Principles
Closures are a balancing act between the right of the public to enjoy unfettered access to PCL&W
and the need to protect public safety. DOC’s approach to closures is guided by the following
principles:
• Closures must be consistent with all relevant legislation and general policies.
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• Closures protect the public against significant risks that cannot be mitigated in other ways.
• Closures impinge as little as possible on the public’s right to access and enjoy PCL&W.
• Closures are communicated clearly, accurately, and transparently. The terms ‘closure’ and
‘closed’ are only used for closures authorised under legislation, including regulations and
bylaws.
• Closure policies allow DOC to respond quickly and efficiently to significant public safety
risks.
1.2.3 Approach to closures
DOC seeks to keep PCL&W open as much as possible. However, there are times when a closure is
the only reasonable option to manage significant risk to the public.
We implement closures in the following situations:
• When the risk is higher than acceptable for the site’s predominant visitor group and
cannot be reduced to an acceptable level with management actions; and/or
• When management actions to reduce the risk to an acceptable level for the site’s
predominant visitor group will take time to put in place and a closure is required until
mitigations are implemented.
Where reasonable, DOC should work to reduce the risks associated with hazards rather than close
areas. However, there will be times when this is not possible. There may be no mitigation
available to reduce the risk to appropriate levels, the mitigation might not be compatible with
management plans or legislation, or the mitigation is not practical or feasible.
In situations with high levels of risk to low-skilled visitors, risk is managed by recommendations
to visitors about whether they use the track that day, or facility closures and booking
cancellations. These approaches are used very sparingly (for example, on the Tongariro Alpine
Crossing and the Fiordland Great Walks).
1.2.4 Rāhui
A rāhui is a temporary prohibition, which places a closure or restriction upon an area, resource,
under the Official Information Act
or activity. Rāhui are put in place by mana whenua and are declared for a range of reasons, though
generally it allows for tapu to dissipate, time for healing and recovery of the mauri of the physical
and spiritual world. Examples of when a rāhui may be declared include following a death, for the
protection of people’s safety, and for the conservation of resources. They are a physical and
spiritual protection mechanism that hapū and iwi can use to support other activities.
DOC supports rāhui by working closely with mana whenua and publicising the rāhui (for example,
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via a media release and an alert on the DOC website). Authorising a formal legal closure for an
area subject to a rāhui is beyond the scope of this SOP. Therefore, rāhui are not legally
enforceable against the public, and staff should take care to avoid giving the public this
impression.
Rāhui are put in place through a tikanga process rather than a legislative process and applying
DOC’s visitor safety closure thresholds and processes to rāhui would likely limit DOC’s ability to
provide efficient and effective support for any rāhui placed. Local DOC teams should work directly
with mana whenua to check if a rāhui should be put in place to help respond to any specific needs
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2. Criteria for implementing closures,
recommendations and facility closures
2.1
Closures
Closures can be short or long-term. This depends on whether the risk is likely to be reduced to a
tolerable level in the future, either through natural processes or intervention by DOC.
Regardless of the length of the closure, it still needs to meet a series of criteria. These criteria
ensure that we are only restricting the public’s use of PCL&W when absolutely necessary.
2.1.1 Closures for tracks/areas of PCL&W
To close a track or an area of PCL&W for visitor safety reasons, the following criteria must be met.
• The track/area is a visitor site/place frequented by visitors on PCL&W; AND
• The risk is higher than acceptable for the site’s predominant visitor group and cannot be
reduced to an acceptable level with management actions; AND/OR
• Management actions to reduce the risk to an acceptable level for the site’s predominant
visitor group will take time to put in place and a closure is required until mitigations are
implemented.
In these situations, closures can be put in place either
A. Until the risk has resolved through natural processes
B. Until DOC has put in place mitigations to lower the risk to an acceptable level for the
predominant visitor group.
2.1.2 Disposal of tracks on PCL&W
To dispose of a track (permanently close) for visitor safety reasons, the following criteria must be
met.
under the Official Information Act
• The track/area is a visitor site/place frequented by visitors on PCL&W; AND
• The risk is higher than acceptable for the site’s predominant visitor group and cannot be
reduced to an acceptable level with management actions; AND/OR
• Management actions are not practical or feasible; AND
• The risk is very long-term and will not reduce through natural processes within a
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reasonable timeframe.
If these criteria are met, the track should be disposed of. A closure should be put in place while
the disposal process is worked through.
2.1.3 Closing DOC facilities on PCL&W
The facility should be closed if it is not safe, not sanitary and/or if it has inadequate means of
escape from fire. This is determined through engineering and inspection advice.
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Note: if an area of PCL&W is closed, then all facilities within it (DOC or third-party) are also
automatically closed. Third party access may need to be preserved in some cases where they have
access rights and limited alternative options.
2.1.4 Closing DOC facilities that are not on PCL&W
Work with the landowner and/or consult the relevant agreement. Follow the principles set out in
this SOP to guide your approach. Seek advice from the legal team if required.
2.1.5 Closing unformed legal roads (paper roads)
Paper roads are not part of PCL, and the land cannot be closed by DOC, even if there is a DOC
track running along the paper road.
Paper roads are vested in the local district council/unitary authority and the Council is the entity
empowered to close it. The Council can implement short term closures or make bylaws that
otherwise limit use of the road. DOC must request a closure from the council if it is required.
If the road is landlocked by PCL&W, DOC can effectively close access to the road by closing the
surrounding PCL&W, thereby preventing access. However, DOC must not put any locked gates on
the road. DOC can close a track that runs along a paper road but should not imply that the public
cannot use the road.
Seek advice from the legal team about specific examples if required.
2.1.6 In all instances, close the minimum area possible
The area or track section closed should be as small as possible. It should be no larger than needed
to exclude visitors from the particular hazard zone and reduce the risk to tolerable levels.
2.2
Managing risk to visitors through recommendations and facility
closures/ booking cancel ations
There are situations where a formal closure is not justified but where there are large numbers of
low-skilled visitors who may not be equipped to manage the hazards present. In those situations,
DOC may manage risk further by providing recommendations to visitors (such as to only visit
under the Official Information Act
during certain conditions, or only as part of a guided experience) or by closing facilities/
cancelling bookings. The area of PCL&W remains open, and it is not a closure of the track/area.
These approaches should be used sparingly, as visitors should be making their own decisions
about their safety on PCL&W. It is only appropriate at sites with large numbers of lower-skilled/
inexperienced visitors, significant natural hazards, and a pattern of serious incidents and/ or
near-misses.
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2.2.1 Recommendations to visitors
Any recommendations should be phrased to make it clear that this is advice rather than a closure.
For example: ‘Walking Track X is not recommended today’ or ‘Walking Track Y is not
recommended during heavy rain, as side streams flood the track’ or ‘Unless you have advanced
mountaineering skills, we recommend that you only visit [location] as part of a guided trip’.
If setting up a daily recommendation system, scope the work carefully to ensure it can be
resourced and maintained over time.
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2.2.2 Facility closures/booking cancellations
This is a more intensive intervention than providing recommendations. It should only be used
where a recommendation is viewed as insufficient to manage the risk to visitors, with serious
injury/fatality a likely consequence if visitors continue to access the site.
At the discretion of the Operations Manager, establish a Trigger Action Response Plan (TARP) to
close facilities (such as huts) and/or cancel bookings during particularly hazardous conditions. It
is a closure of the facilities only and is not a closure
of the track/wider area of conservation land.
This is a very resource-intensive form of safety management and should only be used where
absolutely necessary.
3. Processes for assessing and notifying closures
All closure decisions must be assessed following the process below. The criteria in section 2 of this
SOP must be met to initiate this process. Any closures that are approved must be publicly notified
according to the legal requirements set out below.
3.1
Process for assessing and implementing closures
3.1.1 Process for assessing and implementing potential closures
Use the following process for a temporary closure. (The criteria in 2.1.1 must be met).
Note: urgent situations are covered in section 3.3.
Identify the hazard and level of risk to the visitor:
1. Senior Heritage and Visitor Ranger writes up a recommendation using the Visitor Safety
Closure Assessment Template (doc-7370888). Checks the proposed closure would be
consistent with the area’s management plan and conservation management strategy.
If a closure is being recommended:
2. Operations Manager reviews the recommendation and approves the recommendation to
close, by signing the Visitor Safety Closure Assessment Template. To approve a closure
under the Official Information Act
under the Reserves Act, the Operations Manager must have been designated as a
Commissioner – see list of Commissioners (doc-2750343). If the Operations Manager is
not designated as a Commissioner, they pass the decision on to another Operations
Manager or Director who is.
3. The Regional Director should be notified of the decision as soon as possible.
4. Publicly notify the closure (see section 3.2 for details).
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5. Senior Heritage and Visitor Ranger leads the implementation of any other actions (e.g.
temporary fencing of the site, visitor information updates etc).
6. Submit the completed Visitor Safety Closure Assessment Template to the Visitor Safety
Team by emailing it to [email address]. The team undertake quality assurance
and monitor the performance of this SOP.
7. Review the closure decision regularly (at an appropriate interval for the location and
hazard being addressed) to ensure a closure is still required.
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If there was sufficient concern about a hazard to undertake a closure assessment, then the
decision to keep the track/facility/area open should also be reviewed and approved by the
Operations Manager. If a closure is not recommended:
2. Operations Manager approves the recommendation not to close, by signing the Visitor
Safety Closure Assessment Template.
3. Senior Heritage and Visitor Ranger leads the implementation of any other actions (e.g.,
risk mitigations).
4. Review the decision if anything changes which may increase the risk.
If the hazard occurs over a weekend/holiday and the usual decision-makers aren’t available,
delegate to whoever is most appropriate in the circumstances, then have the decision reviewed,
and if necessary confirmed, when the usual decision-makers have returned.
If the hazard is temporary and regularly occurring, prepare a Trigger Action Response Plan
(TARP) that explains the proposed triggers for closure. This should then be approved through the
process outlined above. Once the TARP has been approved, closures done under it do not need to
go through the above approval process, although TARPs should be reviewed regularly and
reapproved by the Operations Manager after review.
3.1.2 Process for disposing of tracks for visitor safety reasons
Use the following process to dispose of a track for visitor safety reasons. (The criteria
in 2.1.2 must be met).
1. Follow the process for assessing and implementing potential closures (3.1.1 above). Apply
a temporary closure if approved by the Operations Manager.
2. If it is identified that the closure needs to be permanent and results in the disposal of
assets being required, refer to and follow DOC's process to decommission and dispose of
an asset (DOC.AM.DP.010 Decommission and Dispose of an Asset).
3. Contact your Senior Visitor Advisor and Asset Specialist - Planning for support.
4. Maintain the closure while the disposal process is worked through.
under the Official Information Act
Note: On site visitor information and closure signage should remain in place until the track is no
longer useable and recognisable (e.g., replanted with locally sourced trees to obscure old track
entrance, or so overgrown that it is not passable). Remove web information after two years or
after the track is gone from maps and external websites, whichever is longer.
3.2
Notification requirements for closures
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All notifications for closures should:
• State the reason for the closure.
• Provide a detailed description and/or a map of the closed area.
• Name the specific legislation under which the closure is made (see below).
• Follow the notification requirements for the land type (see below).
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Consider whether visitors are likely to substitute to a nearby track/facility. If the nearby
track/facility is only suitable for more experienced visitors, consider providing additional visitor
information around this (e.g. strengthened/more comprehensive safety information), or
promoting more appropriate alternatives.
See the table below for specific notification requirements.
under the Official Information Act
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3.3
Responding to urgent situations
Some risks may be so significant and urgent that there is a need to get warnings to the public
before the closure assessment can be completed. In those instances, add an immediate website
alert and sign covering the following points:
• There is a significant hazard present (name it)
• The site is being assessed for potential closure
• We strongly recommend that you do not access the site at present
Then proceed with the closure process as normal. Update the signage/web information once the
assessment process has been done.
3.4
Assessing closures in situations where the extent of the damage and
risk is unknown
In some circumstances it may not be possible to verify which hazards are present and what the
level of risk is. For example, it may be too unsafe for staff to go to the site to assess it, or damage
may be so widespread that it will take a long time to assess everywhere.
In those situations, rely on a
reasonable belief about what the situation is likely to be, then
assess based on that. Review decisions as soon as you have sufficient information to do so.
4. Process for reopening following a temporary
closure
Temporary closures should be lifted once the risk to the visiting public is no longer present or has
reduced to an acceptable level. Reopening decisions must be assessed following the process below.
4.1
Process for reopening
1. Assess whether the hazard that prompted the closure is still present, or whether the risk
has reduced to an acceptable level for the predominant visitor group using the visitor risk
management (at visitor sites on public conservation lands and waters) SOP (doc-7555122).
under the Official Information Act
Contact the Visitor Safety Team if you need support with the assessment by emailing
[email address].
• If on review you identify:
o the hazard is no longer present, or
o the risk from the hazard is re-assessed as acceptable for the predominant visitor
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group, or
o the hazard has now been appropriately mitigated,
then, the site can be reopened, as the level of visitor risk is acceptable.
• If the hazard is still present and the risk has been assessed as still unacceptable, the
site should remain closed.
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29/11/2024
Added reopening
DOC-7362830
Theo Chapman
process. Moved closure
decision delegation
Revision 16
from Director to
Operations Manager
level. Added
connections to the
visitor risk management
SOP. Updated terms
and definitions to align
with the visitor risk
management SOP.
Edited wording to
improve clarity.
Removed decision
making flow chart to
improve clarity and
simplify processes.
Removed references to
the closure review
panel, as not used.
Changes/additions
reviewed and endorsed
by DOC legal (Pene
Williams – Senior
Solicitor).
29/11/2024
Updated ‘last reviewed’
DOC-7362830
Theo Chapman
date on the cover page.
Revision 17
04/12/2024
Amended the track
DOC-7362830
Theo Chapman
decommissioning
(with input from
process (now disposal
Revision 18
Lynnell Greer and
under the Official Information Act
process) to align and
Frith Palenski)
connect with DOC's
process to
decommission and
dispose of an asset
(DOC.AM.DP.010
Decommission and
Dispose of an Asset).
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