Managing your concession
If you already hold a concession for running an activity, occupying land or building a structure on conservation land, here's information about managing it throughout its life.
On this page:
Tourists and kayaks at Marahau,
Abel Tasman National Park
You will be charged fees throughout the life of your concession as set out in your concession contract. These are:
- Annual management fee to cover administration time
- Monitoring fee (if required) to cover monitoring the effects of your activity
- Activity fee per head (if a guiding concession)
- Annual rental (if a land use concession)
In order to retain your concession and ensure you maintain a good operating record you must file your activity returns (if guiding) and pay all your fees promptly.
Contract reviews
Your concession contract will be reviewed every 3 years and amendments may need to be made to ensure the effects of your activity are being well managed.
Rent reviews
Your rental or activity fees will be reviewed every 3 years.
Variations to existing concession contracts
Over the life of your concession you may want to make some changes to what you do, or to some of the conditions on your activity. This is done by a "Variation" to your existing concession.
Variations are for minor changes and can't be used if you want to extend the term, substantially change the location or increase the effects of your concession activity. That would require a new application.
Variations are done on a cost recovery basis to cover staff time and effort. If you want to vary your concession, contact your DOC concession manager.
What happens?
On the day your concession expires you must stop your activity, otherwise you will be breaking the law. Your concession will not be allowed to "roll on".
If you wish to continue your concession activity you must apply for a new concession at least 3 months before your current concession expires. This allows enough time for your application to be assessed and a decision made.
DOC will remind you 12 months before your concession expires. You should then arrange a pre-application meeting with DOC so you can discuss the best way to continue your activity.
Re-issue of concession on expiry
You may be offered the opportunity to apply for a Re-issue of your concession if it was not notified and if you have performed well during the term of your concession. That is:
- No outstanding fees
- No unresolved legitimate/relevant complaints
- No breaches of concession contract conditions
- No illegal activity for this or any other concession
- All activity returns and other information required by DOC have been provided in a timely manner.
This process has been designed to offer a quicker and cheaper method to consider applications from existing concessionaires for their existing activity where the activity and its effects are unchanged and well understood.
This process and can only be used for permits for up to 10 years, non-notified licences up to 10 years or easements which do not need to be publicly notified. It only takes 20 working days to process a Re-issue.
It is DOC's decision to offer to Re-issue your concession prior to your existing concession expiring. DOC must invite you to apply for a Re-issue.
If you are invited to apply for a Re-issue your application must be:
- Received no less than 3 months before the expiry of your existing concession
- For the continuation of the existing activity to the same or lesser scale, frequency and party size, in the same locations, and of the same or lesser effects as that provided for in the existing concession
- For an activity that complies with, or is not inconsistent with, relevant management plans and strategies
- For an activity in a location for which the effects, including cumulative effects, are well understood and managed
- For a permit, licence or easement which could be processed as a non-notified application based on the actual, potential and cumulative effects; and
- For an activity where the original concession was considered and granted under Part 3B of the Conservation Act 1987.
Remember you must be invited to apply for a Re-issue. If you want to change your activity or its scope you will need to apply for a new concession under one of the other processes.
If you don't meet your contractural obligations
As a responsible concessionaire holding a legal contract with DOC you are expected to comply with the conditions of your concession. If you breach the contract your concession can be suspended or cancelled and you could face legal action.
If you fail to comply with your concession contract you will be ineligible for the streamlined Re-issue process when your concession expires.
Once you have begun your activity, if you find that certain conditions of the concession mean you cannot operate your business effectively, please contact DOC immediately so we can work together to find solutions.
If you do breach your contract it is better to let DOC know immediately and get the issue addressed rather than wait for someone to report you and face the legal consequences.
Illegal operators
If you notice illegal commercial activity on public conservation land you should inform DOC immediately. These illegal operators take legitimate business away from you and may affect your reputation or that of your industry.
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