URGENT – Protect Public Access to Our Coastlines

A group ride through the area proposed for closure many years ago. This ride was organised by the great, late Brian Lambert (far right). The following photos are of our family rides around the South-East coastline of the Lower North Island.

This video is of the coast line they want to close off access for the public. Don't let them!

This video came out a few days ago:

Have Your Say — Protect Public Access to Our Coastlines

The South Wairarapa District Council is proposing a law that would stop people from going along a paper road at Cape Palliser. If this goes ahead, it will set a terrible precedent for the whole of New Zealand.

Watch the video here: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1JWan8eiaG/

Read these articles here:

• https://www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/360769977/council-seeks-safeguard-coastline-cape-palliser

• https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360779559/unprecedented-council-wants-ban-access-s

Please don't be fooled by the photo at the top of the Post article. It shows erosion from storms and waves, not vehicles, and definitely not from cyclists and walkers. It is misleading people. A poor photo. Mine in this article are a better depiction of this spectacular coastline.

This is about far more than just one stretch of coastline. If we allow this, it opens the door for councils and private landowners to lock up other parts of our country’s coast and countryside, denying New Zealanders the right to walk, cycle, and enjoy the outdoors.

Our coastlines and paper roads belong to everyone. While there is a good case for restricting motorised access to protect the land, banning low-impact access by foot or bicycle is unnecessary, unreasonable, and against the Kiwi way of life.

The Council is accepting submissions until 19th August 2025. Please take a few minutes to have your say. You can copy my submission below or, better still, rewrite it in your own words.

Make it clear:

• You oppose the blanket ban on all access.

• You support targeted restrictions on motorised vehicles, not on walking or cycling.

• You want public access protected for future generations.

Once these rights are gone, they’ll be near impossible to get back. Let’s not be the generation that lets New Zealand’s great outdoors be quietly closed off.

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You are welcome to cut, paste and edit what follows. The main thing is to have your say before it is too late!

Submission on the Proposed Paper Road Access Bylaw 2025 – Cape Palliser

Submit online here: haveyoursay.swdc.govt.nz/paper-road-access-bylaw

To: South Wairarapa District Council

From: [Your Name]

Date: [Insert date]

I oppose the proposed Paper Road Access Bylaw 2025 in its current form.

While I fully understand and agree there is a strong case for restrictions on motorised access – especially 4WDs, quad bikes, and trail bikes – closing access entirely to walkers and cyclists is an extreme overreach. It is also, in my view, an unenforceable and probably unlawful precedent for the whole of New Zealand, not just the Wairarapa.

This proposal goes against the long-standing Kiwi culture of free and open access to our great outdoors. If adopted, it will send the message that public coastline can simply be closed off, even to those using it in the most low-impact ways. That is an awful precedent to set.

We should be encouraging all New Zealanders to get away from their screens, out of their bedrooms, and into nature. Banning non-motorised access is the opposite – it is promoting a fearful, caged, sedentary culture.

A reasonable compromise is possible.I would support a bylaw that:

• Prohibits unsupervised motorised access (4WD, quad bike, trail bike)

• Allows walking and cycling access along the paper road

• Restricts overnight camping, and prohibits fires except in designated areas

• Includes signage explaining the area’s cultural and ecological values, and the expected code of conduct

This would protect the environment and respect landowners’ rights, while still upholding the principle of public access to our coastlines.

An outright ban on all public access – even by foot or bicycle – is excessive, unfair, and unnecessary.

In summary:

• The environmental and cultural issues are caused primarily by inappropriate motorised use, not by walkers or cyclists.

• The proposed blanket ban is unenforceable, sets a dangerous precedent for public access rights, and undermines New Zealand’s outdoor culture.

• A targeted, balanced approach can achieve protection of the land without removing traditional, low-impact public access.

I urge the Council to amend the bylaw to protect the environment and cultural sites without removing all non-motorised public access.

Yours sincerely,[Your Name]

[Your Contact Details]