Love thy neighbour? A study of Kahurangi National Park, New Zealand and the people-park relationship

The establishment of national parks can generate significant changes for the people living in and around them. Acknowledging this, park managers around the world increasingly recognise that nature conservation and protected natural area management should not be divorced from wider socio-economic and cultural issues, such as employment, lifestyle, and tradition (Stankey, 1989). This study uses a qualitative approach to investigate the nature of the people-park relationship for two rural communities: Golden Bay and Karamea, near Kahurangi National Park, New Zealand. Interviews were undertaken with local residents, tourism operators, business owners, farmers, and Department of Conservation (DOC) staff. Three dimensions of the people-park relationship are explored: 1) lifestyle, recreation, and place attachment; 2) tourism; and 3) interactions with the Department of Conservation (DOC). Kahurangi National Park plays an important role in Golden Bay and Karamea residents' lifestyles and recreational opportunities. It creates employment opportunities in tourism, conservation, and natural resource extraction. Residents use the Park in their recreation and value it for the opportunity that it gives them to recreate close to home. Its physical presence plays a role in generating the communities' isolation. Many residents are also emotionally attached to the Park: some sense the Park's 'spirit' while others feel they are guardians of the Park's entrances. National park status has made some residents feel prouder of the Park while others lament the loss of access to the Park for mountain bikers. Many Golden Bay and Karamea residents view DOC as overly bureaucratic and difficult to communicate with. Others believe that DOC is caught 'in a sandwich' while trying to accommodate various interests. Most residents, however, have a high regard for the DOC employees who live and work in their communities. A perceived poor consultation process leading up to the creation of the Park hampered the DOC-community relationship, especially in Karamea. After the Park's gazettal, residents expected DOC to spend more money on recreational infrastructure within the Park and this is perceived not to have happened. Tourism is an important dimension of the people-park relationship in both Golden Bay and Karamea. The name 'national park' is now used in the promotion of both communities. Locals perceive that some tourists, especially international tourists, are drawn to the region because it is a national park. Due to their different levels of tourism development, Golden Bay and Karamea are experiencing different effects from tourism. Golden Bay residents perceive some negative effects of tourism whereas most Karamea residents are positive about tourism. The effect of the creation of Kahurangi National Park on tourism in Golden Bay and Karamea is inconclusive. Some residents perceive that the national park has drawn more people but others attribute the increase in tourism in both communities to other factors, such as local tourism initiatives. This study also synthesises the New Zealand people-park relationship research to date and develops an exploratory model of the New Zealand people-park relationship, contributing to a wider theoretical discussion on people-park relationships in New Zealand. Several factors can influence the relationship between a park neighbour and a park including a community's history and stage of tourism development and the stakeholder group that a local person belongs to.