Source: NZ Department of Conservation
Date: 13 July 2026 Source: Joint media release DOC and Te Uru Taumatua, the Tūhoe iwi authority
Te Uru Taumatua conducts operational management of Te Urewera on behalf of Te Urewera Board. DOC has been working with Te Uru Taumatua for more than a year to transition management of the holiday park, which is located on Māori freehold land. The transition has focused on ensuring visitors continue to enjoy a genuine experience at Lake Waikaremoana.
CEO of Te Uru Taumatua, Kirsti Luke, says the holiday park will continue to operate as usual, and lake access will be maintained, while complementing new investment and allowing for new experiences in Te Urewera.
“This is a place where people can come to experience nature differently – where we are part of the forest, not separate, and where visitors can enter the home of Tūhoe and feel at home themselves.”
“The strongest feedback we have about the Waikaremoana Great Walk now is the unique opportunity to experience and learn about the Tūhoe homeland and culture from our Tūhoe wardens. The holiday park, which is the gateway to te Urewera for many, enhances the connection between Tūhoe, Te Urewera and our guests.”
Te Urewera was recognised as its own legal personality by the world-first Te Urewera Act in 2014, which also put into law the shared desire of Tūhoe and the Crown that Te Urewera be preserved as a place for public use and enjoyment by all.
Kirsti says Te Urewera is not just home of the Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk, or beautiful scenery, or the largest rainforest in the North Island.
“It’s more than all of these things, it’s a place for recreation, learning, and inspiration, and it’s a place that changes you.”
DOC Deputy Director General Regional Operations, Henry Weston, says DOC and Te Uru Taumatua have worked closely together in recent years to support the Tūhoe vision of Te Urewera, and the transfer of the holiday park is a natural progression.
“Te Uru Taumatua has progressively invested in infrastructure, including upgrading water and waste systems at Panekire hut on the Great Walk, as well as new community facilities in Waikaremoana and Ruatāhuna. The holiday park is in need of new investment; something Te Uru Taumatua is much better placed to deliver.
“The transfer of the holiday park builds on that wholly Te Urewera experience and is something we’re delighted to celebrate alongside Te Uru Taumatua,” says Henry.
The land on which the holiday park sits is a part of the original lakebed of Waikaremoana, and is Māori freehold land owned by the Tūhoe Charitable Trust board and Wairoa-Waikaremoana Māori Trust Board. It has been leased to the Crown since 1967. The sale of the holiday park does not affect the lease or the underlying ownership, and lake access remains unchanged.
Bookings for Waikaremoana Holiday Park can continue to be made on the DOC website.
Background information
The sale and purchase of the holiday park was on commercial terms based on independent valuations of the business, buildings, and physical assets.
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Contact
For media enquiries contact:
Email: media@doc.govt.nz
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/07/13/a-new-lease-of-life-for-waikaremoana-holiday-park/