Conservation organisation Forest & Bird has sent an open letter to the local councils of New Zealand pleading for stricter regulations about vehicles on beaches around the country. Ultimately, it’s meant the question of cars on beaches has fallen to local authorities, with a mixed bag of results across the country. “We appreciate that on some beaches, vehicles are necessary to access private property, launch boats, gather kaimoana, and for emergency situations,” he said. These included local authorities like Kaipara, Wairoa, Gisborne, Kaikōura and Southland – including Rakiura Stewart Island. The organisation argued that different local authorities handling the issue means arbitrary invisible borders on the coast that don’t take the habitats of coastal wildlife into account.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 08, 2024 06:46 UTC