Reserves Act 1977

3 General purpose of this Act

• (1) It is hereby declared that, subject to the control of the Minister, this Act shall be administered in the Department of Conservation for the purpose of—

  • (a) Providing, for the preservation and management for the benefit and enjoyment of the public, areas of New Zealand possessing—

    • (i) Recreational use or potential, whether active or passive; or

    • (ii) Wildlife; or

    • (iii) Indigenous flora or fauna; or

    • (iv) Environmental and landscape amenity or interest; or

    • (v) Natural, scenic, historic, cultural, archaeological, biological, geological, scientific, educational, community, or other special features or value:

  • (b) Ensuring, as far as possible, the survival of all indigenous species of flora and fauna, both rare and commonplace, in their natural communities and habitats, and the preservation of representative samples of all classes of natural ecosystems and landscape which in the aggregate originally gave New Zealand its own recognisable character:

  • (c) Ensuring, as far as possible, the preservation of access for the public to and along the sea coast, its bays and inlets and offshore islands, lakeshores, and riverbanks, and fostering and promoting the preservation of the natural character of the coastal environment and of the margins of lakes and rivers and the protection of them from unnecessary subdivision and development.

  (2) In the exercise of its administration of this Act, the Department may take any action approved or directed from time to time by the Minister so far as it is consistent with this Act or is provided for in any other Act and is not inconsistent with this Act.

  Subsection (1) was amended, as from 1 April 1987, by section 65(1) Conservation Act 1987 (1987 No 65) by substituting the word “Conservation” for the words “Lands and Survey”.