Measuring and Reporting Changing Public Access to and Along the Coast

Abstract

ABSTRACTPublic access to and along the coast is identified as a matter of national importance in the Resource Management Act 1991. Despite this, few local authorities have started to monitor public access to and along the coast. The adoption of two indicators of public coastal access by the Ministry for the Environment deserves closer analysis ‐ how can local authorities implement those indicators as part of their section 35 responsibilities? Research carried out in Otago in 1999 examined the effectiveness of five indicators of public coastal access. This research concluded that one of the Ministry's indicators is a good measure of public access, but it could be extended to include other factors that influence public access.