{"id":500555,"date":"2026-06-29T04:48:46","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T04:48:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/500555\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T04:48:46","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T04:48:46","slug":"cathedral-cove-entry-fee-plan-sparks-community-backlash-in-hahei","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/500555\/","title":{"rendered":"Cathedral Cove entry fee plan sparks community backlash in Hahei"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe community is worried about the potential impact of access charges on visitor demand. If charges reduced visitation, it would negatively impact local business and the Hahei community,\u201d the meeting\u2019s minutes stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cRevenue generated in Hahei from the access charge should be spent in the region. Some of the revenue from the access charge at Cathedral Cove should be allocated to the council to help with wider funding pressures created by international visitors.\u201c<\/p>\n

\" Cathedral Cove is the lifeline for townships like Hahei. Photo \/ Christel Yardley, Waikato Times<\/p>\n

Those at the meeting also pushed back on using \u201chard gates\u201d to collect charges, with many calling for electronic solutions to be used.<\/p>\n

Speaking individually, Thames-Coromandel District councillor and Mercury Bay Community Board member Flemming Rasmussen said he was in favour of the charges.<\/p>\n

He pointed to how international tourists are \u201cshocked\u201d they don\u2019t have to pay already, especially given the model is rife throughout global tourist destinations.<\/p>\n

\" Thames Coromandel District Councillor and Mercury Bay Community Board member Flemming Rasmussen wants the local community\u2019s best interest put first. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n

Income provided should be benefiting the local community and only offsetting DoC\u2019s expenses, not divvied out at its discretion and spread across its estate in New Zealand, he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cHahei is dependent on international tourism, or tourism in general. We would be looking at a different shaded charging structure so that in the low season you would try and entice tourists to come by having a reduced fee or no fee.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the peak season where we haven\u2019t got capacity, the charge … should be a maximum and then you would differentiate it over time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The charge was announced in May by Conservation Minister Tama Potaka<\/a>, who described it as a \u201conce in a generation change\u201d and labelled the current system as \u201cclunky\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to charge international visitors in some places, generate a bit more money, then we\u2019ll reinvest,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\" Conservation minister Tama Potaka spearheaded the charges set to hit Cathedral Cove. Photo \/ Mark Taylor, Waikato Times<\/p>\n

In \u201can ideal world\u201d, Rasmussen said he\u2019d like all income given back to the local council to reinvest in facilities, but added a 50% split is far more realistic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe important point is it needs to be a tangible, specific relative part of proportionality. It simply can\u2019t be at DoC\u2019s discretion.\u201d<\/p>\n

DoC also received 33 submissions regarding the proposed closures of the Waimata Gemstone Bay track and the Hahei Beach short walk.<\/p>\n

Similar to Cathedral Cove, both tracks have suffered continual storm damage but hold significant importance as crucial alternative walking sites and links to historical and snorkelling sites.<\/p>\n

Rasmussen said more than 1200 people signed the petition to keep the tracks, calling them \u201cthe lifeline of the community\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout that, we would not have that vibrant local community we have now. It would simply be a tourist township that would have its ups and downs over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n

DoC\u2019s formal response to the submissions on whether to keep the tracks is planned by July 6.<\/p>\n

– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cThe community is worried about the potential impact of access charges on visitor demand. If charges reduced visitation,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":500556,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[8172,69514,1259,41139,34074,25349,32574,78,111,43,139,69,2170,8207],"class_list":["post-500555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-backlash","tag-cathedral","tag-community","tag-cove","tag-entry","tag-fee","tag-hahei","tag-in","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-plan","tag-sparks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/500555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=500555"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/500555\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/500556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=500555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=500555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=500555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}