Marlborough – A wider environmental opportunity – a conversation with DOC & Iwi

This plan’s baseline assumption is that the environment sits at the centre of the community and remains the key focus for future regional success.

• The community, primary industries, and as one the regions primary industries, tourism shares the same need to preserve and enhance the environment that supports us all.

• That over visitation in more environmentally sensitive areas can have a negative impact on the environment.

• That visitors are temporary locals and as such use infrastructure e.g., sewerage & water as well as create their own carbon footprint – e.g., rental car – in the same way a local would.

Marlborough is blessed with a wide range of natural environments from mountains, rivers to the sea. The management of many of these natural spaces lies most often with The Department of Conservation – e.g., Molesworth, Mt Richmond Park, Wairau Bar, many parts of the Marlborough Sounds.

Aligning visitor use with appropriate locations is key

• Is the natural outdoor space able to be sustainably visited with no long–term environmental degradation?

• Does the natural outdoor space offer an experience that visitors seek and creates a unique opportunity for destination Marlborough?

• Do DOC have these natural outdoor space opportunities on their radar and resources to manage?

• What opportunities do iwi offer to enhance and protect the natural outdoor space and its visitor offering?

• What wider narratives can be drawn from the ecology and history of these outdoor spaces to build the Marlborough story?

• Can visitation help provide the funding and resources to save and enhance endangered species and ecosystems?

• What value do some of these spaces and places have for the local community and how do we preserve for future generations?

Nydia Track