Full report on Walking Access survey A Colmar Brunton survey of the general public, outdoor...

Full report on Walking Access survey

A Colmar Brunton survey of the general public, outdoor recreation users and land-owners/managers

April 2011

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Summary

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Summary (i)

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the study were to:

• carry out a survey that measures progress towards Walking Access’ SOI impact measures.

• As a secondary priority the project contributes evidence to inform Walking Access’ communications strategy.

METHODOLOGY

• A 15 minute online survey with 1,481 respondents conducted between 3 – 21 March 2011. The sample deliberately boosted rural respondents, land owners and land managers, and those undertaking recreational activities in the outdoors.

This summary is split into two main sections, the first is about access information and the second is about rights and responsibilities in the outdoors. (The main report provides detailed findings across five chapters).

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Summary (ii)

FINDINGS A - ACCESS INFORMATION

Access to the outdoors is important to New Zealanders

• 95% of New Zealanders agree that free and easy access to the outdoors is important.

• 92% have been in the outdoors for a recreation activity in the past year, the most common activities include:

– Short walks (64%)– Picnics and family outings (64%)– Swimming (50%)– Photography (41%)– Fishing (37%)– Camping (31%)

A notable proportion of the general public have sought access information in the past year

• 39% of the public have sought access information in the past year (they have either sought information about the status or ownership of land: 18%, or information about how to get to public land: 31%).

• This increases to 52% of those who are members of outdoor clubs (i.e. 52% of club members have sought some kind of access information in the past year) .

• Also those who have undertaken particular activities in the past year were much more likely to seek information. These activities include: caving (66% of cavers had sought access information), hunting (64%), tramping overnight (65%), day tramping (54%), bird watching (55%) and conservation activities (57%).

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Summary (iii)

But there is a high degree of uncertainty about where to go to obtain access information

• 47% of those seeking information about the ownership or status of land were unsure about where to go to find this information.

• 43% of those seeking information about how to get to public land were unsure about where to go to find this information.

And many encounter difficulties finding access information

• Less than 1 in 3 (29%) of those looking for information on land ownership or status agree that it is ‘easy to find’ this kind of information.

– A quarter (25%) of them actually did not succeed in finding the required information on the last occasion they searched.

• Answers are slightly more positive for those who have sought information on ‘how to get to public land’, but only half (52%) of those seeking this information agree that it is ‘easy to find’.

– And one in five (20%), did not find the information they were looking for the last time they searched.

There is strong demand for more access information

• Almost half (48%) of the public think there is not enough information about access to publicly owned land. Common themes were:

– A need for wider distribution of land access information(38% of those calling for more information said this). In particular, more information on physical signs and electronic information would be welcomed.

– A need to clarify exact geographical access points (21%). Most of these people were looking for clearer access to beaches and bush walks in particular.

– A need to communicate the exact rules and conditions of access (21%).– A need to clarify ownership (14%).– A need for more recreation information about public sites (8% mentioned this).

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Summary (iv)

Most people obtain their information from DOC or councils in the end, and most are happy with the information they receive

• Most people currently receive access information from DOC or local councils (36% of information seekers went to DOC and 34% went to local or regional councils).

• Although there are issues about the ease of obtaining information, there does not appear to be issues with the quality of information received in the end (96% of those seeking access information said the information was useful – this did not vary by information source).

Awareness and use of Walking Access is low – although users are positive

• Only 6% of the public had heard of Walking Access (this was higher for those belonging to a club – 11%, and landowners - 12%).

• Only 1% of the public had used Walking Access in the past year (although 3% of land owners/managers and 3% of outdoor club members had used Walking Access).

• But users were generally content with Walking Access (only 1 in 10 rated the service poorly).

Although there are not many users at the moment, there is strong interest in the WAMS system

• There is a high level of interest in the online mapping system among the general public (80% are interested) – this is higher amongst those belonging to an outdoor recreation club (88%).

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Summary (v)

FINDINGS B - RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE OUTDOORS

Awareness and knowledge of the Outdoor Code is low

• Only 7% of the public are aware of the Outdoor Code and most of those (89%) only know a little or nothing about the Code.

– Awareness is higher among outdoor recreation club members (12%)– Awareness is higher among land owners/managers (10%)

But most people do claim to understand the ‘basics’

• Most people had heard that:– You should always take your litter home: 96% had heard of this before.– There are some times of the year when you are not allowed to light a fire in rural areas: 93%– A closed gate should always be left closed: 93%– Your dog's faeces should always be picked up & removed or buried: 91%– You need to ask permission to cross private land: 85%– An open gate should always be left open: 69%

• However a minority (7%) had only heard of up to half of these good practice statements.

Most people think responsible behaviour is about ‘leaving the outdoors as you find it’

• When asked what acting responsibly in the outdoors meant to them, respondents said:– Leave the outdoors as you find it (62%)– Adopt a respectful attitude (48%)– Think about safety (28%)– Follow specific guidelines and rules (27%)– Prepare in advance (17%)

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Summary (vi)

Most people would feel very nervous about asking land owners for permission to access their land

• 57% of non-landowners said they would feel very nervous about asking for permission. This is higher among young people (aged up to 34) and females (65% and 63% respectively).

And many land owners do not allow access to their land when asked

• Almost half (43%) of land owners/managers who have been asked for access, only grant access ‘some of the time’, ‘rarely’, or ‘not at all’.

• The main concerns land owners/managers have are: – Potential damage to the farm or crops (particularly when harvesting or fertilising), or scaring of animals during breeding

season (41% of those who sometimes do not permit access said this).– Because the person isn’t known to the landowner/manager, looks untrustworthy, or is potentially irresponsible (27% said

this).

At the heart of this lies a division between land owners and visitors about knowledge of how to behave

• Over half (60%) of land-owners do not believe that visitors have a good understanding of rural etiquette, whereas 71% of the public think that most New Zealanders have a good understanding of how to behave responsibly in the outdoors.

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Summary (vii)

Not many New Zealanders pro-actively seek information on responsible behaviour in the outdoors, although over a third encounter information

• 10% of New Zealanders have sought information about responsible behaviour in the outdoors in the past year (47% through DOC and 31% through local or regional councils).

• 36% have encountered information about responsible behaviour in the outdoors in the past year, but this is mainly through the media (34% of those encountering information saw something on TV and 33% saw something in a newspaper or magazine, although 28% noticed signs with information about responsible behaviour).

For those that seek it, information on responsible behaviour is easy to obtain (relative to information about accessing land)

• 63% of those who have sought information on rights and responsibilities in the past year agree that this kind of information is easy to obtain (although only 44% of the general public agree). This is higher than the equivalent proportions agreeing that land access information is easy to obtain (see details earlier).

• Similarly most people searching for information on responsible behaviour know where to go (75% of them do), and obtain what they need (93% do). This is higher than the equivalent proportions for land access information (see details earlier).

But there is demand for more information on rights and responsibilities

• 37% of the public think there should be more information on rights and responsibilities in the outdoors (this is somewhat lower than the equivalent demand for more land access information – which was 48%). Common requests for information are:

– Conditions of access/restrictions and rules (12% of those calling for more information mentioned this)– Education/information/advertising needed about correct behaviour (11%)– Rubbish disposal/take away rubbish with you (10%)– Easier to find information e.g. information online (9%)– Better/more signage about responsibilities (7%)

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Objectives and methodology

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Objectives & Methodology


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Objectives

• To carry out a survey that measures progress towards Walking Access’ SOI impact measures.

• As a secondary priority the project will contribute evidence to inform Walking Access’ communications strategy.

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Methodology

• A 15 minute online survey with 1,481 respondents conducted between 3 – 21 March 2011.– This included a boost of an additional 151 land-owners and land-managers – defined as ‘owning or

managing a piece of land bigger than four hectares’. (Combined with land-owners and land-managers found in the main sample this brings the total land-owner and land-manager sample to 288).

– The survey sample also included a boost of an additional 307 outdoor recreation users – defined as ‘people who had undertaken any of the following activities in the outdoors within the past year: day hiking, overnight tramping, mountain climbing, trail running, fishing, hunting, kayaking, camping, caving, mountain-biking, picnicking, or off-road driving’. (Combined with equivalent outdoor recreation users in the main sample this brings the total in these categories to 1,301 interviews).

– All respondents were recruited from Colmar Brunton’s online panel.– Rural areas were deliberately over-selected to allow urban vs. rural analysis. The sample included

439 respondents living in rural areas with high, moderate or low urban influences or living in highly rural/remote areas, and 1,042 respondents lived in main, satellite or independent urban areas (respondents were allocated to one of these Statistics New Zealand definitions of urban or rural status based upon their post-code).

– All results were weighted so that total results are broadly representative of the New Zealand public by age and gender, urban-rural status, type of outdoor recreation activity and land-owner/land-manager vs. non land-owner/manager status.

• Results for a sample size of 1,481 are normally subject to a maximum margin of error of +/- 2.5%. Results for sub-groups will be subject to wider margins of error.

• All reported differences between subgroups are statistically significant at the 95% confidence level unless stated otherwise.

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Chapter 1:

Access information and opportunities in the NZ

outdoors

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Importance of the outdoors


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The context is that New Zealanders strongly feel that free and easy access to the outdoors is important

(95% agree) – although land owners/managers are slightly less likely to agree.

Free & easy access to outdoors is important 84% 11% 3%

1%1%

1%

Strongly agree Slightly agree Neither agree nor disagree Slightly disagree Strongly disagree

Don’t know Not relevant to me

Base: All NZ public surveyed (n=1481) Question: How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements: A1_5: Free and easy access to the outdoors is important to New Zealanders

Nett Agree %

Nett Disagre

e %

95% 1%

• Free and easy access to the outdoors is important – subgroups that stand out:MORE POSITIVE:– Those aged 55-64 (98% agree) or aged 65+ (99% agree)

MORE NEGATIVE:– Land owners/managers (89% agree)– Asian respondents (87% agree)– Those aged up to 34 years old (91% agree)

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New Zealanders also use the outdoors. 92% have undertaken at least one

recreation activity in the NZ outdoors in the past year.

Outdoor activities undertaken in past year (S1)

% of public(n=1481)

Walks up to one hour on a formed track 64%

Picnic/outing with family or friends 64%

Swimming/snorkelling/diving 50%

Photography 42%

Fishing 37%

Camping 31%

Hiking or tramping on a day tramp 26%

Boating/sailing/windsurfing 21%

Mountain biking 15%

Kayaking/canoeing 15%

Tree planting/conservation activities 13%

Off-road recreation driving 12%

Bird watching 11%

Skiing/Snowboarding/cross-country skiing 9%

Tramping trip with an overnight stay 9%

Hunting 7%

Trail running/orienteering/multisport event 6%

Horse riding 6%

Caving 3%

Mountain climbing with equipment 1%

Other 3%

None of these 8%

92% have undertaken at least one of these activities in the past year

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Perceptions about the ease of finding access information.

Note this was asked in different ways: • Do you agree/disagree that info is ‘easy to find?’• Have you encountered uncertainty about access recently?• Is there enough information?


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Only a minority agree that it is easy to find access info. (although many ‘do not know’).

Info. on ownership & status of land in particular is often perceived as difficult to obtain

Easy to find info on how to get to publicly owned land

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

12% 32% 17% 18% 9% 11% 1%

Strongly agree Slightly agree Neither agree nor disagree Slightly disagree Strongly disagree Don’t knowNot relevant to me

Easy to find info on ownership or status of land or water 4% 18% 18% 25% 18% 16%

1%

Nett Agree

%

Nett Disagre

e %

22% 43%

44% 27%

Base: All NZ public surveyed (n=1481).Questions: A1-2 – How much do you agree or disagree that ‘It is easy to find information on who owns a piece of land or water or its status (for example, is it privately or publicly owned)’.A1-3 – How much do you agree or disagree that ‘It is easy to find information on how to get to a piece of publicly owned land or water from a road, car-park or similar’.

Perceptions of ease of finding access information – agreement statements

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Subgroup differences – older people and those belonging to an outdoor recreation group were more

positive about the ease of obtaining access info

• Easy to find info on ownership or status of land (average of 22% agree, 18% neutral, 43% disagree, and 16% do not know) – subgroups that stand out:

MORE POSITIVE:– Land owners/managers (33% agree)– Belong to an outdoor recreation club (29% agree)– Older, aged 55-64 (27% agree) and aged 65+ (25% agree – although this last difference is not statistically

significant).

MORE NEGATIVE:– Males (49% disagree).

DON’T KNOW:– And urban based respondents more likely to say ‘don’t know’ (16% do not know).– Similar for those who have not undertaken any outdoor activity in past year (25% do not know).

• Easy to find info on how to get a piece of publicly owned land (average of 44% agree, 17% neutral, 27% disagree, and 11% do not know) – subgroups that stand out:

MORE POSITIVE:– Belong to an outdoor recreation club (54% agree)– Older, aged 65+ (51% agree)

MORE NEGATIVE:– Maori (37% disagree) – although this difference is only statistically significant at the 90% confidence level.

DON’T KNOW:– Those who have not undertaken any outdoor activity in past year are more likely to say ‘don’t know’ (25% do not

know).

(Note: land owners/managers were slightly less likely to agree – 43% - but the difference was not statistically significant).

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Compared to the general public, those who have looked for info on the ownership/status of land in the past year are more likely to have an

opinion. But on balance, they are no more positive or negative than the general public.

• The first column of data below shows how much the general public agree that ‘it is easy to find information on the status or ownership of land’ (total agree is 22%). The column on the right shows the equivalent figures for ‘those who have actually sought information on status/ownership’ in the past year (total agree is 31%). This shows that those who looked for the info are both more likely to agree and more likely to disagree.

• Looking only at people who do express an opinion either way (in other words, removing ‘don’t know’ and ‘neither nor’ answers), we find that there is not much difference in the balance of opinion (positive vs. negative) between the general public, and those who have looked for ownership/status info in the past year. 34% of the public who expressed an opinion agree it is easy and 66% disagree – this compares with 36% and 64% among those who have looked for the information in the past year.

How much respondent agrees/disagrees that it is easy to find info on the ownership/status of land

General public(n=1481)

%

Those who have looked for this info. in past year

(n=307)%

Strongly agree 4 9

Slightly agree 18 22

Neither agree nor disagree 18 9

Slightly disagree 25 30

Strongly disagree 18 25

Don’t know 16 4

Question not relevant to me 1 0

How much respondent agrees/disagrees that it is easy to find info on the ownership/status of land

General public minus those who said ‘neither’ or

‘don’t know/not relevant’(n=1003)

%

Those who have looked for this info. in past year minus those who said

‘neither’ or ‘don’t know/not relevant’

(n=266)%

Strongly agree 7 11




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Similarly, those who have looked for info on how to get to a piece of public land in the past year are more likely to have an opinion but they

are no more positive or negative than the general public.

• The first column of data below shows how much the general public agree that ‘it is easy to find information on how to get to public land’ (total agree is 44%). The column on the right shows the equivalent figures for ‘those who have actually sought information on how to get to public land’ in the past year (total agree is 56%). This shows that those who looked for the info are both more likely to agree and more likely to disagree.

• Looking only at people who do express an opinion either way (in other words, removing ‘don’t know’ and ‘neither nor’ answers), we find that there is not much difference in the balance of opinion (positive vs. negative) between the general public, and those who have looked for info on how to get to public land in the past year. 62% of the public who expressed an opinion agree it is easy and 38% disagree – this compares with 64% and 36% among those who have looked for the information in the past year.

How much respondent agrees/disagrees that it is easy to find info on how to get to public land


%


(n=461)%

Strongly agree 12 17





Don’t know 11 3


How much respondent agrees/disagrees that it is easy to find info on how to get to public land



%



(n=401)%





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Whether people have encountered barriers, in the form of uncertainty

about accessing publicly owned land.


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Over a third of the general public have encountered barriers, in the form of uncertainty about accessing

publicly owned land in the past year.

Where to find info about access to publicly owned land

Whether land/water was publicly owned

How to get to a piece of publicly owned land/water

41%

36%

34%

48%

54%

57%

11%

9%

9%

Yes - I've been unsure in past year No Don’t know

Base: All NZ public surveyed (n=1481).Questions: B1 – 1-3 - In the past twelve months have you been unsure about any of the following…Where to find information about access to publicly owned landWhether or not the land or body of water you planned to use was publicly owned How to get to a piece of publicly owned land or water from a road, car-park or similar

Uncertainty around access issues encountered in past year

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Subgroup differences – land-owners & managers and males were more likely to say they

encountered uncertainty

• 43% of public were uncertain about where to find info. about access to publicly owned land – subgroups that stand out:

HIGHER CHANCE OF ENCOUNTERING UNCERTAINTY:– Land owners/managers (48%).– Males (45%) – although this difference is only statistically significant at the 90% confidence level.

LOWER CHANCE OF ENCOUNTERING UNCERTAINTY:– Non-recreation users (27%).

• 36% encountered uncertainty about whether land/water was publicly owned – subgroups that stand out:HIGHER CHANCE OF ENCOUNTERING UNCERTAINTY:– Belonging to an outdoor recreation club (50%).– Males (42%).– Older, aged 65+ (43%).

LOWER CHANCE OF ENCOUNTERING UNCERTAINTY:– Younger, aged up to 34 (30%).– Rural (31%).

• 34% of public were uncertain about how to get to a piece of publicly owned land/water:HIGHER CHANCE OF ENCOUNTERING UNCERTAINTY:– Land owners/managers (40%) – although this difference is only statistically significant at the 90% confidence level.– Males (38%) – although this difference is only statistically significant at the 90% confidence level.

LOWER CHANCE OF ENCOUNTERING UNCERTAINTY (no relationships to report here).

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Those who have encountered uncertainty often disagreed that access information was easy to

obtain.In other words there is a link between encountering barriers and

perceptions about access info.• Those who had encountered uncertainty about ‘where to find access info’ were more likely to DISAGREE

that:– It is easy to find info on ownership or status of land/water (58% compared to the average of 43%).– It is easy to find info on how to get to a piece of publicly owned land/water (42% compared to the average of 27%).

• Those who had encountered uncertainty about ‘whether land/water was publicly owned’ were more likely to DISAGREE that:

– It is easy to find info on ownership or status of land/water (58% compared to the average of 43%).– It is easy to find info on how to get to a piece of publicly owned land/water (40% compared to the average of 27%).

• Those who had encountered uncertainty about ‘how to get to publicly owned land’ were more likely to DISAGREE that:

– It is easy to find info on ownership or status of land/water (59% compared to the average of 43%).– It is easy to find info on how to get to a piece of publicly owned land/water (47% compared to the average of 27%).

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The demand for more access information


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People were asked if there was enough information about access to publicly owned land. Almost half (48%) of the

public think there is not enough info about access to publicly owned land.

Level of info on access to publicly owned land1% 48% 30% 22%

Too much Not enough About the right amount Don’t know

Base: All NZ public surveyed (n=1481).Questions: B10 - In general, do you think there is too much information about access to publicly owned land, not enough information, or about the right amount of information?

Whether there is enough info on access to publicly owned land

The following people were more likely to say there was ‘not enough’ info on access to publicly owned land:

• Those who have sought some kind of access information in past year (identified at B2) (55% said there was not enough info)

• Males (54%)• Those aged 45-54 (58%)• Business managers and executives (67%)• Those with a household income of over $120,000 (62%)• Those who have taken part in the following outdoor activities in the past year:

• Overnight tramping (60%)• Skiing (59%)• Off-road driving (57%)• Conservation activities / tree planting (57%)• Bird watching (56%)• Mountain biking (55%)• Fishing (54%)

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48% of the public think there is not enough access information. Many want more information about access points, and want more information put on

signs and onlineA wide variety of answers were given using an open ended question. These were categorised into broad themes, and sub-codes

within each theme (people often said things that meant their answer was in more than one code). Some people talked about the ‘type of information’ – e.g. access points/ownership, while others talked about the ‘form of communication’ – e.g. via media or at i-

Sites.

QB12 - You mentioned there was not enough information. What kinds of things would you like more information about? Base: all respondents saying that there is not enough access information (n=732).

THEME TWO: Physical access need to be made clearer

21% said something in this theme

How to get to public land 6%How to access beaches/how to cross private land to

get to beaches 5%

Access to bush walks made clearer 4%Clearly marked boundaries 3%

Access routes to rivers and waterways 2%Access rights to Queen’s Chain made clearer 1%

Access to fishing spots 1%Vehicle access points 1%

Clearly marked access points (in general) 1%Access to paper roads 1%

Access to parks 1%Access to coastal areas 1%

Access to free (non-paid) areas and things to do 0.4%Access to bike or cycle tracks 0.2%

THEME ONE: Need for wider / better distribution of access information


Better signs/signs should be clearer about access information

10%

Information about where to go to find access information

10%

A central database/website needed to get all the land access information required in one place

6%

Contact details of owners 5%More access information online 4%

Advertising by local bodies (councils or communities) about local access

3%

Desire to see access information in media (TV/newspapers/magazines etc.)

2%

More recreational information on the DOC website 1%More information at i-Sites 1%

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Many also think there should be more information about ‘the rules and conditions’

of access as well as who owns the land A wide variety of answers were given using an open ended question. These were categorised into broad themes, and sub-codes within

each theme (people often said things that meant their answer was in more than one code). Some people talked about the ‘type of information’ – e.g. access points/ownership, while others talked about the ‘form of communication’ – e.g. via media or at i-Sites.

QB12 - You mentioned there was not enough information. What kinds of things would you like more information about? Base: all respondents saying that there is not enough access information (n=732).

THEME FOUR: Ownership information needs to be clearer


Who owns land 7%More detailed ownership information in maps

(hardcopy or online) 5%

Whether the land is public or private 2%Information about where public land is 1%

THEME THREE: The rules of access need to be communicated more


Conditions of access such as rules and restrictions 12%Clearer rules about where dogs are allowed 2%

Maori ownership and implications should be made clearer (often accompanied with negative comments

about Maori making land inaccessible)2%

Access rights and responsibilities across farmland made clearer 2%

Permissible access times made clearer 2%Costs/fees to access land made clearer 1%

Types of activity allowed 1%Whether permission is needed to enter 0.40%

THEME FIVE: Need for more specific recreation information about the public sites themselves


Facilities that are available at the public sites (e.g. toilets / boat ramps / parking, etc.)

6%

Safety/hazard information about the site 2%Estimated walking times 1%

6% of answers could not be coded

26% of people said ‘don’t know’ when asked what type of information they would like more information on.

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Some quotes about the need for more access information

“If you find out who owns land I found it hard to know who to contact to ask for permission”

“It could be as simple as just putting links to maps showing park boundaries right on the front pages of council or DOC

websites.”

“More signs up!” “If you need to cross private land to get to public land then it should be easier for public to find out about how to do

that ”

“If it is private and public and there should be

enough signs for people to read and see.”

“Ok there might be heaps of information but if it

could be collated then that would be helpful. ”

“The information is usually documented, it is just trying to find out who

or where to find out about it.”

“There is not enough plain English information as to

what is publicly owned land.”

“Fishing spots not advertised”

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Current levels of information seeking regarding the status or ownership of

land


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of them were unsure how to get this information(46% were sure and 8% did not cant remember).

18% of public have looked for land ownership/status info in the past year. There does not appear to be an issue

with ‘quality’ of information, but around half were unsure where to go for info in the first place.

of public have looked for information on ownership or status of land/water in the past year.

Base: All NZ public surveyed (n=1481).B2: In the past twelve months have you looked for information on who owns a piece of land or water or its status (for example, whether it is privately or publicly owned.

Base: All public looking for land ownership/status info (n=307).B3a: Please think back to just before the last time you looked for information on the status of a piece of land or water. At that time, did you know how to get this information?.

Subgroup analysis:More likely to look:• Land owners/managers (28%)• Member of outdoor club (32%)• Male (25%)• Aged 65+ (24%) [only stat. sig

at 90% level]• Farm owner/manager (33%)• Self employed (25%)• Rural (22%) [only stat. sig at

90% level]

More sure:• Those who were searching for

tramping info. were more sure (75% were sure where to go for info).

Less sure:• Those who were planning to fish

(64% were unsure), kayak (87%), or swim (71%) (these differences only sig. at 90% confidence level).

• Only 60% of those who were ‘unsure’ about where to go, got the info in the end (compared to 94% of those who were sure).

• Those going to land-owners for info were more likely to get what they needed (89%). As were those going to councils (84%).

• [no subgroup differences for this question].

• Note: ‘Usefulness’ did not vary by information source.

of them got what they were looking for.

Base: same as above(n=307).B5: Did you get what you were looking for?

of them found the info useful (53% ‘very’ useful).

Base: all those receiving info (n=179).B6: How useful was the information?

18%

47%

75%

96%

OF THOSE WHO LOOKED:

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Of those who did search for land ownership/status info, the most common sources used were councils and DOC. Only

2% had used the Commission.

Regional/local council

Department of Conservation

Friend or family member

A land owner or land manager

i-Site

Another tourism information centre

A newspaper or magazine

Internet - non specific

Another government department

Google/Google Maps

An outdoor recreation group

NZ Mountain safety council

A travel or tourism operator o

The NZ Walking Access Commission

Other

Don't know/Can't remember

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

44%

37%

26%

24%

23%

7%

7%

6%

6%

5%

4%

2%

2%

2%

13%

3%

Sources of information on land/water ownership or status

Base: All those who looked for ownership/status info in past year minus nine people who gave up looking before getting to source (n=298)Questions: B3b: Who was it you went to for information?

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Website visits are the most common channel used (57% of those searching for land ownership/status info)

Visited a specific website

Telephone

Face-to-face

Signpost or notice board

Read a book/brochure/pamphlet

By email


Received information by post

Google/Google Maps

Internet - no specific

Posters

Other


0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

57%

29%

28%

25%

23%

10%

7%

4%

2%

2%

2%

4%

2%

Channel used when looking for information on land/water ownership or status

Base: All those who looked for ownership/status info in past year minus nine people who gave up looking before getting to source (n=298)Questions: B4: How did you look for this information?

36

Camping, walking, day-hiking, and picnicking are common activities planned when looking for land ownership/status

info (although fishing and swimming are also common)

Camping

Walks up to one hour on a formed track

Hiking or tramping on a day tramp

Picnic/outing with family

Fishing

Swimming/snorkelling/diving

Photography

Tramping trip with an overnight stay

Hunting

Mountain biking

Kayaking/canoeing

Boating/sailing/windsurfing

Tree planting/conservation activity

Trail running/orienteering/multisports

Off-road recreation driving

Caving

Other

None of these

0% 5% 10% 15% 20%

12%

12%

11%

11%

9%

6%

5%

5%

4%

3%

3%

2%

2%

1%

1%

1%

6%

4%

Activity planned when looking for information on land/water ownership or status

Base: All those who looked for ownership/status info in past year (n=307)Questions: B8: When you were looking for the information, what was the main activity that you planned to do on the land or water?

37

Information seeking on how to get to publicly owned land


38

31% of public have looked for info on how to get to publicly owned land in the past year. There does not

appear to be an issue with ‘quality’ of information, but 43% were unsure where to go for info in the first place.

of public have looked for information on how to get to publicly owned land in the past year

of them were unsure how to get this information.

Base: All NZ public surveyed (n=1481).B2: In the past twelve months have you looked for information on how to get to a piece of publicly owned land or water from a road, car-park or similar.

Base: All public just looking for how to get to publicly owned land (n=297).B3a: Please think back to just before the last time you looked for information on how to get to publicly owned land. At that time, did you know how to get this information?.

Subgroup analysis:More likely to look for this info:• Member of outdoor recreation

club (40%).

Less sure:• Those aged 55-64 (64% unsure).• Those who were planning a

fishing trip (59%) [but difference is only sig. at 90% level].

More likely to get what they looked for:• Looking to DOC for info (90%).• Looking to Friend/Family for info

(90%).• Member of an outdoor

recreation club (91%) [but difference is only sig. at 90% level].

• Note: Only 63% of those who were ‘unsure’ about where to go, got the info in the end (compared to 97% of those who were sure).

• Note: ‘Usefulness’ did not vary by information source or subgroup.

of them got what they were looking for.

Base: same as above(n=297).B5: Did you get what you were looking for?

of them found the info useful (53% ‘very’ useful).

Base: all those receiving info (n=237).B6: How useful was the information?

31%

43%

80%

97%

OF THOSE WHO LOOKED:

39

The most common sources used to look for information on how to get to public land in past year were DOC and i-Sites

(38% and 31% of those looking for info on how to get to public land). Only 1% had used the Commission.


i-Site



Google/Google Maps


Internet browing in general


A travel or tourism operator






Other


0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

38%

31%

28%

27%

12%

11%

8%

6%

5%

4%

4%

1%

1%

1%

7%

2%

Sources of information on how to get to publicly owned land

Base: All those who looked for info on how to get to publicly owned land in past year minus sixteen people who gave up looking before getting to source (n=281)Questions: B3b: Who was it you went to for information?

40

Website visits are the most common channel when it comes to looking for info on how to get to publicly owned land (64%). This is similar to

‘searching for info on ownership/status of land-info’ (see earlier), although more people use 1-way communication (e.g. reading signposts

or printed material) to search for ‘how to get to’ publicly owned land.

Visited specific website



Face-to-face

Telephone

By email

Google/Google Maps


Posters


Internet browsing in general

Other

Don’t know/Can't remember

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

64%

35%

27%

26%

17%

9%

4%

4%

3%

3%

2%

5%

1%

Channel used when looking for information on how to get to publicly owned land

Base: All those who looked for info on how to get to publicly owned land in past year minus sixteen people who gave up looking before getting to source (n=281)Questions: B4: How did you look for this information?

41

Walking, day-hiking, picnicking, swimming and camping are common activities planned when looking for information on

how to access publicly owned land (fishing and photography are also common)


Hiking or tramping on a day tramp



Camping

Fishing

Photography


Hunting

Mountain biking



Horse riding


Kayaking/canoeing

Tree planting/conservation activities

Skiing/Snowboarding

Other

0% 5% 10% 15% 20%

17%

14%

14%

11%

10%

10%

5%

4%

3%

3%

2%

1%

1%

1%

1%

1%

1%

2%

Activity planned when looking for information on how to get to publicly owned land

Base: All those who looked for info on how to get to publicly owned land in past year (n=297)Questions: B8: When you were looking for the information, what was the main activity that you planned to do on the land or water?

42

Those how have looked for info on ownership/status of land OR how to get to publicly owned land in the past year


43

39% of public have either looked for land ownership/status info, or info about how to get to public

land in the past year.

of public have looked for information on ownership or status of land/water in the past year.

Base: All NZ public surveyed (n=1481).B2: In the past twelve months have you looked for information on who owns a piece of land or water or its status (for example, whether it is privately or publicly owned.

Subgroup analysis:More likely:• Member of outdoor club (52%)• Male (43%)• Undertaken outdoor activities,

particularly:Caving (66%)Hunting (64%)Tramping overnight (65%)Day tramps (54%)Bird watching (55%)Conservation activities (57%)

Less likely:• Not undertaken any outdoor

activities (16%)

No statistical difference:• Land owners/managers (44%).

18%

of public have looked for information on how to get to publicly owned land in the past year

31%

Base: All NZ public surveyed (n=1481).B2: In the past twelve months have you looked for information on how to get to a piece of publicly owned land or water from a road, car-park or similar.

OR…

39% of public have done one or the other in the past year (mostly via DOC – 36%, or councils – 34%).96% said the info was useful.

44

Chapter 2:

Awareness and interaction with

Walking Access and WAMS. Plus where

people would go to first for information.

45

Knowledge of the Commission


46

Only 6% of New Zealanders are aware of ‘The New Zealand Walking Access Commission’

Base: All NZ public surveyed (n=1481).Questions: E1: Have you heard of the organisation called Walking Access?

Awareness of the Commission is low

47

However, there is slightly higher awareness amongst key stakeholders:

11% of those belonging to

a club, and 12% of

landowners have heard of

the Commission

• Awareness higher for rural respondents (9% vs. 5% for urban respondents).

• Also higher for those who have done day tramps (11%) or overnight tramps (10%), hunting (13%), bird watching (11%), conservation work (11%), kayaking or boating (both 10%), and off road driving (11%), in the last year.

Base: All respondents (n=1481).Questions: E1: Have you heard of the organisation called Walking Access?

http://storm/Experience/Graphics/Signs/1126151_10468403.jpg

48

But there isn’t great knowledge about the Commission (only 8% of those aware of the Commission ‘know a lot’ about it).

Most have heard about the Commission from a newspaper/magazine (particularly landowners) or via word of mouth

A lot; 8%

A little; 68%

Nothing; 24%

DK; 1%

Base: All those aware of NZWAC (n=118).Questions: E2: How much would you say you know about them?

Those belonging to an outdoor recreation group/club are significantly more likely to know a lot about the Commission (27% of those who are aware compared to 8% of total aware), finding out about them through either newspaper/magazines (23%) or DOC (20% cf. 6% of total aware)

41% of landowners/managers found out about the

Commission through newspaper/magazines

(cf. 30% total aware)

How much know about Walking Access

49

The lack of knowledge about the Commission is reflected in peoples’ views about the information and advice provided by the

Commission. Half (52%) of those who know about the Commission are ‘not sure’ how to describe the nature of advice

given.

Independent

Balanced

Transparent

Credible

Facilitative

Supportive

Other (specify)

Don't know

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

5%

28%

2%

13%

7%

6%

5%

52%

How view information and advice Walking Access provide

Base: All those aware of NZWAC (n=118).Questions: E12: The Commission is seeking to provide leadership on walking access issues in NZ. From your interactions with the Commission so far, which of the following best describes how you view the information and advice they provide…

50

Among those aware of the Commission, there are high levels of advocacy (78%).

Even higher among ‘users’ (96%)

Very likely; 28%

Fairly likely; 50%

Fairly unlikely; 6%

Very unlikely; 7%

Don't know; 9%

Base: All those aware of NZWAC (n=118).Questions: E11: Thinking about the Commission’s services in general, how likely or unlikely are you to recommend their services to a friend or colleague who is interested in the outdoors?

Likelihood to recommend Walking Access

78% would recommend, this is higher among:

• Those who have used the Commission in past year (96%)

• Club members (87%)

51

Use of the Commission


52

Only 1% of the public have used the Commission (almost all within the past year).Those with higher interaction:• 3% of land

owners/managers• 3% of outdoor club

members• 3% of those with a

household income of $120,000+

Base: All respondents (n=1481)Questions: E3: Have you used the Commission’s website (inc. online mapping system), or had any other interaction with the Commission?/E4: When did you last visit their website or have any interaction with the Commission?

Use of the Commission is low

http://storm/Experience/Graphics/Communication/02A14J8T.jpg

53

The majority of those who have interacted with the Commission have done so via the website. Of the 22 users: • 9 have looked up the mapping

system

• 7 found out the status of land

• 6 looked for technical/legal info about access, and

• 4 looked up the Outdoor Access code

(obviously some users did more than one thing).

Note: only 2 people did not get what they were looking for (1 was looking at the maps, the other looking for legal info).

Base: All those who have interacted with NZWAC (n=22)Questions: E5: What did you use the Commission for?

54

Almost all users were generally happy about the quality of service or information they received from their interaction with the Commission (only 1 in 10

said it was ‘fairly poor’).

Very good; 38%

Fairly good; 33%

Neither good nor poor; 18%

Fairly poor; 10% Don't know; 1%

Base: All those who have interacted with NZWAC (n=22) / All those rating service Neither good nor poor/Fairly poor/Very poor (n=5)Questions: E6c: And how would you rate the quality of service of information you received? / E6: What would have to happen for you to rate them as ‘good’?

Five people weren’t as satisfied with the service (four rated it neither good nor poor, one as fairly poor), mentions to improve it include:

“I applied for funding for signage, I was told we fitted the criteria, after taking time to fill in the forms and waiting some time, this was declined as we don’t fit the criteria.” (Landowner/manager)

“Not their fault, was looking for walks around our area and there weren't any.”

Quality of service rating

55

And the majority thought their interaction with the Commission was timely and professional

• 35% thought the response was very professional

• 38% thought it fairly professional

• 23% said timeliness wasn’t relevant (may have been a straightforward website ‘interaction’)

Base: All those who have interacted with NZWAC (n=22)Questions: E6b: Thinking about the last interaction you had with the Commission. How timely was their response to you?

56

Base: All who have looked up the online Walking Access mapping system (n=9)Questions: E8: Please think about the last time you used the online Walking Access mapping system… If you have not used the online Walking Access maps, how likely or unlikely would you have been to seek this information from elsewhere?

6 of the 9 WAMS users said they would be likely to have sought the information from elsewhere (3 ‘very likely’ and 3 ‘fairly likely’). This suggests that WAMS is entirely additional to existing information for about 1/3 of users.

For some users, WAMS provides additional information which they would not obtain

elsewhere.

57

Interest in WAMS


58

There is a high level of interest in the online mapping system among the general public (80% are interested) –

this is higher amongst those belonging to an outdoor club (88%)

TOTAL

Landowner (n=288)

Belong to an outdoor recreation club (n=187)

Outdoor activity last year (n=1385)

0.321

0.258

0.439

0.337

0.479

0.43

0.438

0.478

0.152

0.216

0.087

0.142

0.025

0.072

0.02

0.021

0.023

0.024

0.015

0.022

Very interested Fairly interested Not very interested Not at all interested Don't know

Base: All NZ public surveyed (n=1481)Questions: E10: The NZ Walking Access Commission provide an online mapping service which shows which land is open to the public for recreational access. How interested are you in a service like this?

Interest in online Walking Access mapping system

Note: even among those who have not undertaken any recreation activity in the outdoors in the past year, 14% are very interested and 49% are ‘fairly’ interested!

Also all 9 WAMS users are interested in the system.

59

Channel preference for interactions with Walking Access


60

Most people want to find out walking access info on the Walking Access website

Not interested in interacting with Walking Access about this

Don't know

Face-to-face visits

By phone

By social media, e.g. Facebook or Twitter

On another website

By post - e.g. paper newsletter

By email - e.g. electronic newsletter

On the Walking Access website

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

18%

3%

1%

1%

5%

9%

14%

25%

50%

17%

3%

1%

2%

5%

9%

12%

28%

51%

17%

3%

1%

1%

6%

9%

16%

27%

51%

General news & info about outdoor access Info about online Walking Access maps

Info on Outdoor Access Code

Base: All NZ public surveyed (n=1481).Questions: F1: The NZ Walking Access Commission is an organisation that offers a range of info & advice for people interested in outdoor recreation on publically owned land. How would you like to interact with the Commission on the following?

Of the key stakeholder groups surveyed,

landowners/managers are significantly less keen than the NZ public for any

interaction, while members of outdoor recreation groups are significantly

more likely to be interested in contact via email: 37%

about the online maps and 33% about the Outdoor

Access Code

How would like to interact with Walking Access

61

Sources that people would go to ‘first’ for access information


62

Councils and DOC are often the ‘first place’ that people will look for land ownership/status info in the future (this is similar to current practice). At this

stage, only 2% say they will use the Commission in the future. (Note: respondents do not know this is a Walking Access survey at this point).



i-Site



Google/Google Maps








Other

Dont know

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

39%

21%

13%

7%

5%

2%

2%

2%

1%

1%

1%

1%

1%

2%

5%

First source of information on land/water ownership or status that public will use in the future

Base: All NZ Public, minus those who were asked about where they would go for info on how to get to publicly owned land (as they were asked an equivalent question about getting to publicly owned land), and minus those who say they will not look in future anyway (n=1184). Questions: B9: Where is the first place you would go to find info on land ownership/status in the future?

→ Land owners more likely (18%) – as are rec. club members (15%)

→ Land owners more likely (46%)

→ Rec. club members more likely (9%)

→ Land owners less likely (13%)


63

DOC and Councils are often the ‘first place’ that those looking for info on how to get to public land will look to in the future (this is similar to current

practice). Only 2% say they will use the Commission in the future.



i-Site


Google/Google Maps









Other

Don't know

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

24%

19%

19%

7%

7%

4%

3%

2%

2%

1%

1%

1%

1%

5%

3%

First source of information on how to get to publicly owned land that public will use in the future

Base: All NZ Public that have looked for info on how to get to publicly owned land in the past year, and will look for info in the future (n=289)Questions: B9: Where is the first place you would go to find info on land ownership/status in the future?


64

Councils and DOC are often the ‘first place’ that those looking for info. on responsible behaviour would go (this is similar to current practice). Only 1%

say they would go to the Commission.



i-Site




Google/Google Maps

The Walking Access Commission




Other

Dont know

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

36%

30%

12%

4%

3%

2%

1%

1%

1%

1%

1%

2%

6%

First source of information on responsible behaviour on public land

Base: All NZ Public minus those who do not think they will ever look for this kind of information (n=1397)Questions: C9: Where is the first place you would go to find info on rights and responsibilities on publicly owned land?


→ Land owners and rec. club members more likely (3% and 2% respectively)


→ Rec. club members less likely (27%)

→ Rec. club members more likely (6%)

65

Chapter 3:

Information, awareness and understanding, of access responsibilities

66

Ease of obtaining information about rights and responsibilities


67

Views on whether it is easy to obtain information on rights and responsibilities when in the outdoors are mixed

(note: similar level of agreement with ‘ease of finding info on how to get to public land’ but easier to find than land status info).

Easy to find info on rights and responsibilities

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

13% 31% 19% 18% 10% 8% 1%

Strongly agree Slightly agree Neither agree nor disagree Slightly disagree Strongly disagree Don’t knowNot relevant to me

Nett Agree

%

Nett Disagre

e %

44% 28%

Base: All NZ public surveyed (n=1481).Question: A1-4 – How much do you agree or disagree that ‘It is easy to find info on rights and responsibilities when in the outdoors’.

Perceptions of ease of finding info on rights and responsibilities – agreement statement

The following people were more likely to say that this information was easy to find:

• Members of an outdoor recreation club (53%)• Females (48%)• Those who have taken part in the following outdoor activities in the past year:

• Mountain climbing (72%)• Day hiking (55%)• Bird watching (53%)• Camping (51%)• Walks up to one hour on a formed track (49%)• Picnics/family outings (49%)

NOTE: land-owners/managers no different from non-land owners/managers on this question.

68

Those who have looked for info on responsible behaviour in the past year are more likely to be positive about the ease of finding this

information (compared to the general public).

• The first column of data below shows how much the general public agree that ‘it is easy to find information on rights and responsibilities when in the outdoors’ (total agree is 44%). The column on the right shows the equivalent figures for ‘those who have actually sought information on rights and responsibilities’ in the past year (total agree is 63%). This shows that those who looked for the info are more likely to agree that it is easy to find.

• Looking only at people who do express an opinion either way (in other words, removing ‘don’t know’ and ‘neither nor’ answers), we also find that those who have looked for info on rights and responsibilities in the past year are more positive than the general public. 61% of the public who expressed an opinion agree it is easy vs. 39% who disagree – this compares with 75% and 25% respectively among those who have looked for the information in the past year.

How much respondent agrees/disagrees that it is easy to find info on rights and responsibilities


%


(n=160)%






Don’t know 8 2


How much respondent agrees/disagrees that it is easy to find info on rights and responsibilities



%



(n=134)%





69

Demand for more information about rights and responsibilities


70

A similar question asked the public if there was ‘enough info’ on responsible behaviour when in the outdoors.

Over a third (37%) of the public think there is not enough info on this.

Level of info on responsible behaviour in the outdoors 1% 37% 42% 20%

Too much Not enough About the right amount Don’t know

Base: All NZ public surveyed (n=1481).Questions: C10 - In general, do you think there is too much information about responsible behaviour in the outdoors, not enough information, or about the right amount of information?

Whether there is enough info on responsible behaviour in the outdoors

The following people were more likely to say there was ‘not enough’ info on responsible behaviour in the outdoors:

• Business owners and self-employed(45%) and business managers/executives (51%)• Those with a household income of between $80,000 and $100,000 (47%), or over $120,000 (53%)• Those who have taken part in the following outdoor activities in the past year:

• Hunting (50%)• Conservation activities / tree planting (49%)• Mountain biking (45%)

NOTE: land-owners/managers and people aged 18-34 were slightly more likely to say ‘there is too much information’ (4% and 3% respectively said this).

71

Many wanted to see more information, education or advertising on the conditions of access,

particularly about dealing with litter/rubbishA wide variety of answers were given using an open ended question, these were categorised into codes. People often said things that meant their answer was in more than one code. Note – we did not group the codes to this question into higher level themes

(because there could only be one or two themes at most).

QC11 - You mentioned there was not enough information. What kinds of things would you like more information about? Base: all respondents saying that there is not enough responsibility information (n=586).

Things people would like more information on

% of those who said there was

‘not enough information

’Conditions of access/restrictions and rules 12%

Education/information/advertising needed about correct behaviour

11%

Rubbish disposal/take away rubbish with you 10%Easier to find information e.g. information online 9%

Better/more signage about responsibilities 7%Responsibilities/obligations on public land

(specifically)6%

Safety and hazards information for visitors 6%Information on how to prepare before going 6%

More information about where public can and cannot access

6%

Care and respect for the environment 6%Fire/fire safety information 4%

Information on activities you can do in the area 4%Toileting information 4%

Information guidelines / responsibilities for overseas visitors specifically

3%

Penalties/consequences for inappropriate behaviour made clearer

3%

Things people would like more information on

% of those who said there was

‘not enough

information’

Boating rights / boating safety 2%

Where dogs are allowed 2%

Where to camp made clearer 2%

Inform/educate Freedom Campers in particular 2%Contact details/who own the land to ask

questions2%

Climate/weather considerations 1%

Hunting issues 1%

Who to contact about irresponsible behaviour 1%8% of answers could not be coded

31% said ‘don’t know / cant think of anything’ when asked what type of information they would like

72

Some quotes about the need for more access information

“Freedom campers need more direction on what to do and

how to be responsible for the outdoors”

“I am absolutely disgusted in the amount of toilet paper on the sides of our public tracks. I don’t think its New

Zealanders. It has really put me off using our popular walking tracks. I have also been on some tracks that

aren't that well known amongst foreign tourists and these tracks have

been lovely and clean.”“Need to somehow educate a

lot people on their responsibilities to leave things

exactly as they have found them. Especially young people

& tourists.”“There is a need to name and shame people.”

“Human waste disposal, respect for the land, more information sent to camping

grounds that can be passed onto campers and those that use camper vans that do

not have containment certs. ”

“We should all be a tidy Kiwi.”

“Unfortunately Kiwis by nature are pretty carefree. There needs to be

notice boards at walking tracks such as 'if you were lost overnight on this

track, would you have the necessities to be safe and well until found’.”

“Water safety for people using boats on lakes and rivers especially in well

used lakes at busy times”

“Tell the people with signs that it is NOT OK to throw and leave rubbish behind everywhere!”

73

Current levels of information about responsible behaviour in the outdoors


74

simply encountered the info (this is equivalent to 36% of public).

47% of public have encountered information about responsible behaviour in the outdoors in the past year –

most people do not specifically ‘seek’ this information themselves.

of public have encountered information about ‘responsible behaviour’ in the past year.

Base: All NZ public surveyed (n=1481).C1: In the past 12 months have you looked for, or seen, heard, or read information on responsible behaviour in the outdoors?

Base: All public encountering responsibility info (n=743). C2b: Did you specially seek out this information yourself?

knew where to get the info.

Base: all those seeking info on responsibility (n=160)C3a: Did you know how to get this info?

got what they were looking for

47%

looked for this info themselves (this is equivalent to 10% of public).

21%

75%

93%

77%

OF THOSE:

Base: same as above(n=160)C5: Did you get what you were looking for?

found the info useful99% Base: same as above(n=160)C6: How useful was this info?

found the info useful84%Base: all those not seeking info directly (n=556)C6: How useful was this info?

OF THOSE:

OF THOSE:

(2% cant remember whether they sought or simply encountered the info).

75

The four biggest information sources on responsible behaviour are newspapers/magazines, DOC, television and councils. (The next

slide breaks down pro-active and re-active information encounters).



On the television


i-Site



Signs/signs in area





Radio

Internet non specific


Google Search


Other


0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

28%

27%

26%

23%

11%

9%

5%

5%

5%

3%

3%

2%

2%

1%

1%

1%

1%

6%

3%

Information sources on responsible behaviour (including BOTH those seeking and simply encountering the info)

Base: All those either seeking or encountering information on responsible behaviour (n=743)Question: C3b: Who was it you went to for/who gave you information?

76

Of those who pro-actively searched for info on responsible behaviour, the most common sources used were DOC and councils

(only 2% contacted the Commission). For those who simply ‘encountered’ the info the most common sources were via TV (34%)

and newspapers/magazines (33%).



i-Site






Google Search





Signs / signs in area


Television

Radio

Other

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

47%

31%

28%

18%

11%

11%

6%

5%

5%

4%

4%

4%

4%

3%

2%

0%

0%

9%

22%

21%

5%

6%

4%

33%

5%

2%

0%

1%

3%

1%

2%

6%

1%

34%

2%

5%

Those who encountered infoPro-active info seekers

Information sources on responsible behaviour

Base: All those who looked for information (n=160) AND All those who simply ‘encountered’ info (n=568) Question: C3b: Who was it you went to for information?

77

The most common channels where people sought or encountered info on responsible behaviour were newspapers/magazines,

signposts/noticeboards, and TV. (The next slide breaks down pro-active and re-active information encounters).

Newspaper or magazine


TV

Visited their website


Spoke to someone face-to-face

Telephone

By email

Posters



Radio

Google

Other


0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

29%

28%

27%

23%

21%

12%

7%

5%

5%

2%

2%

2%

1%

4%

3%

Channel used when looking OR receiving information on responsible behaviour

Base: All those either seeking or encountering information on responsible behaviour, minus 12 people who gave up looking before finding info. (n=731) Questions: C4: How did you look for, or get, this information?

78

Of those who pro-actively searched for info on responsible behaviour, the most common channels were specific websites and books/pamphlets. For those who simply ‘encountered’ the info the

most common channels were TV and newspaper/magazines.

Visited their website



Telephone

Spoke to someone face-to-face

Newspaper or magazine

By email

Posters

Google



TV

Radio

Other


0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

60%

38%

32%

22%

21%

11%

10%

7%

6%

5%

4%

0%

0%

2%

1%

11%

16%

28%

2%

9%

35%

3%

4%

0%

1%

2%

36%

2%

5%

2%


Information sources on responsible behaviour

Base: All those who looked for information (n=160) AND Base: All those who simply ‘encountered’ info minus those who said there was ‘no source’ (n=556) Questions: C4: How did you look for, or get, this information?

79

Short walks on formed tracks, hiking and picnic/outing are common activities undertaken when people seek or

encounter info on responsible behaviour


Hiking or tramping on a day tramping



Camping

Fishing


Photography

Mountain biking


Kayaking/canoeing

Hunting


Tree planting/conservation activities

Other

None of these

0% 5% 10% 15% 20%

13%

11%

9%

9%

8%

8%

6%

4%

4%

3%

2%

2%

1%

1%

3%

14%


Base: All those either seeking or encountering information on responsible behaviour (n=743) Questions: C8: When you were looking for/receiving the information, what was the main activity that you planned to do on the land or water?

80

Walking, fishing, and camping are common activities undertaken when seeking or encountering info on responsible behaviour. Many

of those encountering this info are not actually undertaking any outdoor activities (18%), they are probably encountering info in the

media as part of their everyday life.


Hiking or tramping on a day tramping


Fishing

Camping


Photography

Mountain biking



Kayaking/canoeing


Bird watching

Hunting


Tree planting / conservation activities

Other

None of these

0% 5% 10% 15% 20%

15%

14%

10%

9%

9%

7%

7%

6%

5%

5%

4%

3%

1%

1%

0%

0%

4%

0%

12%

10%

1%

7%

8%

10%

4%

3%

9%

7%

2%

1%

0%

3%

1%

1%

3%

18%



Base: All those who looked for information (n=160) AND All those who simply ‘encountered’ info (n=568) Questions: C8: When you were looking for/receiving the information, what was the main activity that you planned to do on the land or water?

81

Perceptions of whether people have a good understanding of responsible

behaviour


82

Nett Agree %

Nett Disagre

e %

71% 17%

27% 60%

Most people agree that New Zealanders have a good understanding of how to behave in the outdoors (although only

22% ‘strongly’ agree).However, most (60%) land owners/managers DISAGREE that

visitors to their land have a good understanding of rural etiquette

Most NZers have a good understanding of how to behave in the outdoors

Most visitors have a good understanding of rural etiquette

22%

3%

48%

23%

12%

10%

13%

28%

4%

32%

1%

4%

Strongly agree Slightly agree Neither agree nor disagree Slightly disagreeStrongly disagree Don’t know Not relevant to me

First Question: How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements: A1_1: Most New Zealanders have a good understanding of how to behave responsibly in the outdoors. Base: All NZ public surveyed (n=1481)

Second Question: How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements: A2_2: Most visitors have a good understanding of rural etiquette. Base: All land owners/managers surveyed(n=288)

83

Subgroup differencesLand owners, rural respondents, and those who have not undertaken outdoor activities were more negative about

the NZ public’s understanding of behaviour in the outdoors.

Higher income land owners/land managers are particularly likely to ‘disagree’ that visitors have rural etiquette.

• Most New Zealanders have a good understanding of how to behave responsibly in the outdoors(average of 71% agree, 12% neutral, 17% disagree, and 1% do not know) – subgroups that stand out:

MORE POSITIVE:– Those aged 65+(80% agree)

MORE NEGATIVE:– Land owners/managers (63% agree)– Household income of $120,000+ (55% agree)– Rural respondents (65% agree)– Not undertaken any outdoor activities in the past year (56% agree)

Note: those belonging to an outdoor club were slightly more likely to agree with this statement (74% agreed), but the difference was not statistically significant.

• When it came to the statement: ‘Most visitors have a good understanding of rural etiquette’ - only 5% of land owners/managers with a household income of $120,000+ agreed (compared to 27% of all land owners/managers).

84

Land owners/managers granting access


85

46% of landowners/managers allow access across their land most of the time or all of the time.

All of the time; 9%

Most of the time; 36%

Some of the time; 20%

Rarely; 10%

Not at all; 4%

Don't know; 1%

Not relevant - no one has asked; 18%

Base: All landowners/managers (n=288).Questions: D5: When asked, would you say that you allow access across your land…

Whether allow access across land

Of those who have been asked, 57% allow access most of the time or all of the time, and 43% only allows access some of the time, rarely, or not at all.

86

The main reasons landowners/managers have

for restricting access are:

• 41% of those answering the question said: Potential damage to or scaring of stock, crops, or the farm in general particularly during breeding season, or when harvesting, fertilising, etc.

• 27%: Because the person isn’t known to the landowner/manager, looks untrustworthy, or is potentially irresponsible

• 13%: Don’t want firearms, shooting or hunting on land at that time

• 10%: Safety of person and who is responsible for them (e.g. bulls in field, machinery, etc.)

• 9%: Don’t like the reason given for access, or think there’s no valid reason for access

• 9%: There’s no need to provide access, they like their privacy

• 6%: If there’s dogs, or dogs are unsupervised or not controlled

• 5%: worried about visitors’ vehicles

“We have had issues with poachers and are very carful of who we allow on our land. Some people have no idea when encountering stock on farms, for their safety and the safety of our animals we

would limit access. Theft issues. Injuries may make us vulnerable to prosecution. OSH.”

“You don’t know the people you give access to. And if they leave for example a gate

open, then the consequences for us can be a big problem. You can't make them

responsible if something happens. You can only hope the use their common-sense.”

“During lambing or calving and in high fire risk conditions. I also exercise subjective

judgement of the person asking.”

87

Over half (57%) of non-land owners/managers would feel nervous asking for access to land

I'd feel very nervous asking a land owner for access 20% 36% 11% 20% 11%1%

Strongly agree Slightly agree Neither agree nor disagree Slightly disagree Strongly disagreeDon’t know Not relevant to me

Base: Non land owners/managers (n=1193)Question: How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements: A2_3: If I had to, I would feel very nervous about asking private land owners for access to their land

Nett Agree %

Nett Disagre

e %

57% 31%

• Females and young people would feel more nervous about asking for access (outdoor club members would not – see below).

• If I had to, I’d feel very nervous about asking private land owners for access to their land(average of 57% agree, 11% neutral, 31% disagree, and 1% do not know) – subgroups that stand out:

MORE NERVOUS:– Females (63% agree)– Aged up to 34 years old (65% agree)

LESS NERVOUS:– Belong to an outdoor recreation club (43% agree)– Aged 65+ (48% agree)

88

The Outdoor Code


89

Only 7% of New Zealanders have heard of the Outdoor Access Code Higher for those belonging to an outdoor recreation group – 12%Slightly higher (i.e. only sig. at 90% confidence level) for:

Land-owners/managers – 10%

Rural – 10% (compared to urban – 7%)

Base: All NZ public surveyed (n=1481).Questions: D1: Have you ever heard of New Zealand’s Outdoor Access Code? The Code provides guidance on appropriate behaviour in the outdoors and on the access rights and responsibilities of access users, landholders and land managers

90

And even those aware don’t know much about the Code- 11% know a lot, 46% a little, and

43% have only heard of the name

- Knowledge is higher amongst those belonging to an outdoor recreation group (66% know a lot/little, cf. 57% for the total population)

Base: All aware of the Outdoor Access Code (n=121).Questions: D2: How much do you know about what is in the Outdoor Access Code?

[Of those who felt able to comment, 29% said they agreed with all of it, 68% agreed with most of it, and 3% agreed with ‘some’

of it]

91

Knowledge of responsible behaviour in the outdoors


92

Although knowledge of the Code itself is low, knowledge of ‘the basics’ of responsible behavior is generally very high

(knowledge of ‘leaving an open gate how it is found’ is lower).

You should always take your litter home

There are some times of the year when you are not allowed to light a fire in rural areas

A closed gate should always be left closed

An open gate should always be left open

Your dog's faeces should always be picked up & removed or buried

You need to ask permission to cross private land in NZ

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

96%

93%

93%

69%

91%

85%

Knowledge of good practice

Base: All NZ public surveyed (n=1481).Questions: D4b: Before today, had you heard about each of the following?

Note: 7% of the public had only heard of up to 3 of these good practices (and 16% had heard up to 4 of them before).

93

• Land-owners/managers more likely to know:– Keep closed gates closed (96%)– Keep open gates open (79%)

• Outdoor recreation club members more likely to know (differences only significant at 90% confidence level):– Keep closed gates closed (97%)– Keep open gates open (76%)

• Those aged 65+ more likely to know (note: those aged up to 34, were less likely to know all of the statements):

– Remove dog faeces (96%)– Keep closed gates closed (98%)– Keep open gates open (75%)– Ask permission to cross private land (92%)– Take litter home (100%)– Fire bans occur (98%)

• Rural respondents more likely to know:– Keep closed gates closed (99%)– Keep open gates open (83%)– Ask permission to cross private land (91%)– Take litter home (99%)– Fire bans occur (99%)

• Asian respondents less likely to know:– Remove dog faeces (78%)– Keep closed gates closed (69%)– Keep open gates open (38%)– Ask permission to cross private land (70%)– Take litter home (80%)– Fire bans occur (63%)

Subgroup differences – land owners/managers, rural respondents, and older respondents were generally more knowledgeable. Maori and Asian respondents

were often less knowledgeable. Significant differences shown below.

• Maori respondents less likely to know:– Keep closed gates closed (86%)– Keep open gates open (63%)– Take litter home (89%)

94

Seven in ten know it’s not okay to cross a piece of land when you are unsure who owns it –knowledge is higher

amongst Maori, rural respondents, and landowners/managers.

TOTAL surveyed public

Maori respondent (n=82)

Rural respondent (n=439)

Landowner (n=288)

Belong to an outdoor recreation club (n=187)


0.392

0.51

0.54

0.551

0.46

0.392

0.306

0.29

0.24

0.216

0.237

0.305

0.114

0.05

0.1

0.102

0.106

0.121

0.096

0.03

0.07

0.08

0.116

0.1

0.016

0.01

0.02

0.012

0.026

0.014

0.07

0.11

0.03

0.038

0.058

0.064

Strongly disagree Slightly disagree Neither agree nor disagreeSlightly agree Strongly agree Don't know

Base: All NZ public surveyed (n=1481)Questions: A2b: It is ok to cross a piece of land in NZ even when you are unsure who owns it. Excluding Not relevant to me

Whether agree or disagree that ‘it is ok to cross land even when you do not know who owns it’

Nett ‘know it’s not ok’%

Nett Agree ‘it’s

ok!’%

70 11

80 4

78 8

77 9

69 14

70 11

95

Nett agree %

Nett disagre

e’%

78 8

84 6

87 4

81 8

Most do consider where they can/can’t go before a trip (78% agree) – this is significantly higher

amongst landowners and recreation users

TOTAL surveyed public

Landowner (n=288)

Outdoor recreation club member (n=187)


0.41

0.5

0.557

0.43

0.36

0.34

0.312

0.37

0.1

0.08

0.089

0.09

0.069

0.05

0.033

0.07

0.018

0.01

0.009

0.02

0.03

0.02

0.01

Strongly agree Slightly agree Neither agree nor disagree Slightly disagreeStrongly disagree Don't know Not relevant to me

Base: All NZ public surveyed (n=1481)Questions: A2a: Before going into the outdoors I/we normally plan ahead about where I/we can and cannot go. Excluding Not relevant to me

Planning around where you can and cannot go

96

What acting responsibly means to people

We asked people what acting responsibly in the outdoors meant to them. Here are their answers…


97

Leaving the outdoors as you find it was a prominent theme, particularly regarding litter (many people gave us catchphrases such as ‘take only photos’). Adopting a respectful attitude was

also seen as important, as was thinking about safety and hazards.

A wide variety of answers were given using an open ended question. These were categorised into broad themes, and sub-codes within each theme (people often said things that meant their answer was in more than one code).

QD4a – Can you describe what acting responsibly in the outdoors means to you? Base: all respondents (n=1481).

THEME TWO: Adopting a respectful attitude48% said

something in this theme

Respect and consider the environment 28%Be respectful of other users 17%

Respect land owners property rights 9%Act in a responsible manner 4%

Use common sense/be sensible 3%Means the land can be enjoyed for generations 2%

Treat as if it was your own backyard 2%It will keep NZ’s clean/green image 1%

THEME ONE: Leaving the environment as you find it


Don’t litter/take rubbish with you 36%Leave everything as you find it 25%

Don’t cause damage to the environment you are in 15%Leave only footprints 9%

Keep gates as you find them 8%Take only photos 5%

Don’t leave toilet waste or bury it 4%No removing anything 3%

Take our what you take in/pack in, pack out 2%

THEME THREE: Safety28% said


Fire safety/be aware of fire restrictions 12%Safety first/take no risks 16%

Be aware of your surroundings and hazards in the area 2%

98

Many also think about a set of guidelines/rules to follow. Some also thought it was about sensibly

preparing in advance.A wide variety of answers were given using an open ended question, these were categorised into broad themes, and sub-codes

within each theme (people often said things that meant their answer was in more than one code).

THEME FIVE: Prepare in advance / be sensible17% said


Be prepared (right clothing, supplies, communication, etc.)

10%

Let people know where you are/when you will return

8%

Request permission to cross private land before you go

3%

Know the weather conditions 2%Plan your activity 2%

Be aware of your limitations 1%

2% of answers could not be coded

11% of people said ‘don’t know’

QD4a – Can you describe what acting responsibly in the outdoors means to you? Base: all respondents (n=1481).

THEME FOUR: Mentions of guidelines / rules27% said


Abide by the rules or regulations of the area 9%Respect/don’t disturb wildlife 7%

Stick to the path 4%Respect/don’t disturb plants and trees 4%

Respect/don’t disturb stock/farm animals 2%Keep noise to a minimum 2%

Be responsible with your dog 2%Don’t trespass 1%

No alcohol 1%Don’t pollute water-ways 1%

Report any damage or illegal behaviour 1%Stick to seafood quotas 1%

Follow gun safety precautions 1%Careful not to spread disease or pests 1%

Appropriate vehicle use 1%

99

Some quotes about what acting responsibly in the outdoors means to people

“Closing any gates and not taking anything from the

place”

“Preserving wildlife/ plants. Taking waste from the area and disposing of

it responsibly. Not taking risks. Ensuring someone knows where you

are - taking a cell phone. Wearing appropriate footwear and clothing

Not trespassing on property without owners permission.”

“Not trespassing on private property. Not polluting the

land or waterways . Not damaging trees plants”.

“Having the right equipment for the

activity you plan to do, and preparing for the

worst just in case. Telling others where

you intend to go. Doing research about your

planned activity and the place you wish to do it

at.”

“Take it in, take it out. Respect the land,

always shut gates you open. Never disturb

livestock, follow fisheries quota

guidelines. ”

“So many tourists get into trouble and blame the

facilities, but they have ignored basic safety rules.”

“Take only photos. Take rubbish away. No loutish behaviour, no loud music”

“Treating the land you are on with respect. Using it in a safe manner that won’t ruin

the future opportunity for others!”

“To be aware of any dangers, if not sure – don’t go there - ask

before you get into a 'dangerous' situation. To be

calm and respect what is around you.”

100

Chapter 4:

Demographic spread of respondents

101

Demographic spread


102

Demographics

Club membership (H1 and H2) % of public

Not a member of an outdoor recreation club 89.7%

Walking club or group 1.5%

Fishing/boating club 1.2%

Tramping club 0.9%

Kayaking or canoe club 0.7%

Mountain biking club 0.6%

Four-wheel driving club 0.5%

NZ Freshwater Anglers Association 0.5%

Scouts/Scouting NZ 0.4%

NZMCA 0.3%

Public Access NZ 0.1%

Golf club 0.1%

Other 4.5%

Outdoor activities undertaken in past year (S1)

% of public

Walks up to one hour on a formed track 64.2%

Picnic/outing with family or friends 64.2%

Swimming/snorkelling/diving 50.5%

Photography 41.6%

Fishing 36.8%

Camping 31.1%

Hiking or tramping on a day tramp 25.9%

Boating/sailing/windsurfing 20.8%

Mountain biking 15.3%

Kayaking/canoeing 15.2%

Tree planting/conservation activities 13.3%

Off-road recreation driving 11.7%

Bird watching 10.7%

Skiing/Snowboarding/cross-country skiing 9.4%

Tramping trip with an overnight stay 8.7%

Hunting 7.3%

Trail running/orienteering/multisport event 5.9%

Horse riding 5.5%

Caving 3.0%

Mountain climbing with equipment 1.1%

Other 3.2%

None of these 8.2%

Land owner or manager of a piece of land that is bigger than 4 hectares (S2)

% of public

Yes 6.8%No 93.2%

103

Demographics

Age band (H7) % of public

15 to 19 years 0.4%

20 to 24 years 3.6%

25 to 29 years 10.7%

30 to 34 years 15.5%

35 to 39 years 13.8%

40 to 44 years 6.6%

45 to 49 years 6.9%

50 to 54 years 8.0%

55 to 59 years 10.0%

60 to 64 years 9.9%

65 to 69 years 7.4%

70 years or over 7.1%

Refused 0.2%

Ethnicity (H5)% of

publicNew Zealand European 83.8%

Other European 4.0%

Maori 5.0%

Samoan 0.5%

Cook Island Maori 0.4%

Chinese 4.4%

Indian 1.6%

Other Asian 1.5%

New Zealander/Kiwi 1.4%

South African 0.4%

Another ethnic group 0.9%

Don’t know 0.2%

Refused 1.1%

Gender (H6) % of public

Male 48.2%Female 51.8%

Occupation (H7B)% of

public

Farm manager or owner 2.3%

Social welfare beneficiary or unemployed 1.1%

Student 3.1%

Business owner or self-employed 10.5%

Professional or government official 12.3%

Technical, Plant or Machine Operator 1.8%

Other skilled worker 5.7%

Teacher, nurse, police or other service worker 10.9%

Skilled Tradesperson 3.6%

Retired 14.0%

Farm worker or fishery worker 0.7%

Other labourer, manual, or domestic worker 2.3%

Full time home-marker 6.4%

Clerical, Service or Sales employee 12.4%

General manager or Specialised manager 4.3%

Business manager or executive 4.6%

Refused 3.9%

104

Demographics

Income (H8)% of

publicUnder $10,000 3.7%

$10,000 - $19,999 5.7%

$20,000 - $29,999 8.1%

$30,000 - $39,999 11.4%

$40,000 - $49,999 10.6%

$50,000 - $59,999 12.7%

$60,000 - $79,999 14.3%

$80,000 - $99,999 7.1%

$100,000 - $119,999 3.8%

$120,000 - $139,999 1.4%

$140,000 or more 2.9%

Don’t know 2.7%

Refused 15.4%

Full report on Walking Access survey A Colmar Brunton survey of the general public, outdoor...

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