Walkers, trampers, pedal bikers and e-bikers are the only legal travellers permitted on the Cape Palliser “paper road” for the two years from last December 1, a newly-minted council bylaw confirms.
Quad bikes, 4WDs, utes, cars, cross-country bikes, all motor-driven vehicles are banned following serious damage to private land along the unformed but legal road.
The bylaw ensures public access rights are upheld for the road which connects Cape Palliser with White Rock. A fence, locked gate and large signage boards setting out access rules help protect the land area.
Legal access rights to the coastal region had been under threat by earlier iterations of the bylaw in an access row which attracted more than 3,500 public submissions. Their input secured a change of approach by council after its initial plans were put under legal scrutiny, including by the national Outdoor Access Commission, Herenga a Nuku Aotearoa.
The new access rules ensure some “healing” of the damaged areas of land along the roadway, while also meeting the minimum protection requirements of South Wairarapa District Council and the Māori landowners.
The bylaw has also established a stakeholder group, bringing together members of the land-owning hapu Ngāti Hinewaka, the Ngawi community and Ratepayers Association, council representatives, the Rural and Coastal Advisory Group, Department of Conservation, the Outdoor Access Commission, Heritage New Zealand and the National 4WD Association.
Its function is to consider long-term options for future access and use of the road. Herenga a Nuku Aotearoa, the Outdoor Access Commission, said the outcome reached also highlights the need for vigilance over the public’s rights to use unformed legal roads.
“This decision strikes a balance between maintaining public access and allowing the land to recover from decades of damage,” it noted.
Commission regional field adviser David Barnes said that through the stakeholder group they hoped to help stakeholders develop a vision for future access to Cape Palliser “that respects the land, honours cultural values and enables responsible recreation.”
The group has two years to complete its work.
