Visa & entryBy Clever Tourists · Published
Not yet. New Zealand plans to charge international visitors an access fee at four of its busiest conservation sites (Piopiotahi/Milford Sound, Aoraki/Mount Cook, the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and Mautohe/Cathedral Cove), but the law that would allow it, the Conservation Amendment Bill, is still before Parliament. The government's early estimate was NZ$20 to NZ$40 per person, and the Department of Conservation (DOC) says the earliest the charges could start is summer 2027/28. No price, start date or collection method has been confirmed. New Zealanders and residents will not pay.
• Law today: entry to New Zealand's national parks and conservation land is free for everyone. You pay for huts, Great Walk bookings, campsites, some car parks and commercial trips, not for entry.
• Proposed: the Conservation Amendment Bill would let the government set access charges for international visitors on specified parts of conservation land, with the sites, boundaries, prices and exemptions fixed later in regulations.
• Not decided: DOC's 2026 consultation material states that no decisions have been made on how much the charge will be. It also floats options such as a day pass, discounts for children or families, seasonal rates and park passes.
The bill was introduced on 7 May 2026 and passed its first reading on 12 May 2026 by 68 votes to 54. It then went to Parliament's Environment Committee; public submissions closed in July, and the committee published an interim report on 3 September 2026.
DOC says the committee did not expect to finish hearings before Parliament was dissolved for the 7 November 2026 general election, so the next Parliament will continue the process and may change the bill. It still needs committee report-back, a second reading, a committee-of-the-whole stage and a third reading before it can become law. Treat any 2027 start as uncertain until regulations are published.
DOC is investigating charges at four sites first: Piopiotahi/Milford Sound in Fiordland, Aoraki/Mount Cook (including the Hooker Valley and the village area), the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and Mautohe/Cathedral Cove in the Coromandel. It is consulting on whether to charge across a whole national park or only a targeted core area with the main infrastructure.
When the plan was announced in August 2025, the government gave an initial estimate of NZ$20 to NZ$40 per person, with a projected NZ$62 million a year ringfenced for conservation and spent first at the site where it is raised. The minister's office has said those figures were an initial estimate, not final. DOC's own timeline says regulations are expected in time for summer 2027/28, and that this may change with the bill's progress.
Only international visitors would pay. New Zealand citizens and anyone who has lived in New Zealand for at least six of the last twelve months would be exempt. DOC has also asked whether exemptions should cover groups such as visitors with existing Great Walk bookings.
Collection is still open. DOC lists five options: hard gates (barriers or turnstiles), soft gates (online payment with on-the-ground or automated checks), collection by shuttle, bus and tour operators, collection through on-site experiences such as Milford cruises, and parking systems. Many visitors to Milford Sound and Mount Cook already arrive on tours, so it is likely that some of the charge would be built into tour prices.
Separate from any park fee, most visitors already pay two charges before they arrive: the NZeTA (NZ$17 in the app or NZ$23 on the website) and the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) of NZ$100, which rose from NZ$35 on 1 October 2024. Both are paid together when you apply, and our New Zealand visa and NZeTA guide walks through them.
The proposed access charge would be paid on top of the IVL, only at the charged sites. For a 2027 or 2028 road trip that takes in Lake Pukaki and Aoraki/Mount Cook (our Lake Pukaki guide and Pukaki to Mount Cook viewpoints guide) plus Milford Sound, budget for two possible charges and check DOC's site before you travel.
Not as of October 2026. Entry is free, though cruises, parking and tours cost money. An international visitor access charge is planned for Milford Sound, possibly from summer 2027/28, but it is not law yet.
The government's initial estimate was NZ$20 to NZ$40 per person, but DOC says no decision has been made on the price. It will be set in regulations after the bill passes.
DOC says the earliest is summer 2027/28. The Conservation Amendment Bill passed its first reading in May 2026 but still has to pass the remaining stages after the November 2026 election.
No. New Zealand citizens and people who have lived in New Zealand for at least six of the last twelve months would be exempt.
No. The IVL is a NZ$100 levy paid with your NZeTA before you arrive. The proposed access charge would be a separate fee at specific sites like Milford Sound and Aoraki/Mount Cook.
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