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The Crown should own the foreshore and seabed in trust on behalf of all New Zealanders, says Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIANZ) Chief Executive, John Moriarty.
Mr Moriarty says this is the best way of confirming that all New Zealanders, and visitors to New Zealand and tourism operators are able to enjoy access to the foreshore and seabed when they wish. Current proposals to make the foreshore and seabed public domain will only create uncertainties about public access and cement in public access restrictions that are contained in some pieces of legislation such as the Land Act 1948, and English Common Law which has been inherited by New Zealand. This uncertainty would be unsettling for the many tourism operators whose businesses depend on access, and may delay or stifle some business expansion plans at a time when our economy needs economic growth.
“Currently, public access in some pieces of legislation is at the pleasure of the Crown. If the Crown renounces any sort of ownership of the foreshore and seabed, we are concerned that this creates an uncertainty about access, and potentially an ownership ‘void’ which could see access diminished in the future. This would be negative for business and our economy would be the worse for it. Crown ownership in trust is necessary to remove this uncertainty.”
Mr Moriarty said the Crown ownership would settle the legislative concerns the tourism industry has, and create a more certain future for the tourism industry, which now generates over $6 billion dollars per annum in foreign exchange for New Zealand. | 
