Stunning tussocklands along the Desert Rd on State Highway 1, are an opportunity to be rewilded and added to Tongariro National Park and World Heritage Area, Rewild Aotearoa says.

Research lead Paul Hughes said the Desert Rd extension - Tongariro National Park rewild opportunity in the central North Island includes 12,900 hectares of pine plantation, pasture, degraded tussockland, native forest and 400 km of streams including the unique acidic and lahar-prone Whangaehu River.

Mr Hughes said much of the area is already public land managed by NZ Defence Force with numerous restrictions on military use, but suffered from limited ecological management and protection, and needs to establish flourishing ecology to realise its true potential.

"What we are seeing is a huge re-emergence of New Zealanders' interest in protecting and restoring ecology, and benefitting from accessible natural outdoors. So we think now is the time to ask politicians to establish an extension to Tongariro National Park that is accessible from State Highway 1 along the Desert Rd."

Mr Hughes said it would give the "internationally significant" landscape, ecosystems and geopreservation sites proper legal protection.

Changing the status to a National Park would recognise and protect its unique values, he said.

"Extending Tongariro National Park to include 16km of the unique Desert Rd landscape, also helps to protect and restore all SH1 travellers experience and appreciation of the expansive views and setting of Mt Ruapehu.

"It provides a unique landscape, alpine and volcanic visitor experience."

Mr Hughes said it was an area for all New Zealanders, particularly residents of middle North Island as it is readily accessible from SH1.

"You can walk there, you can tramp there - it's a unique natural alpine volcanic landscape.”

“We have the opportunity to move forward beyond WWII era land use decisions and embrace overall future wellbeing and ensuring nature thrives, as embodied in Te Mana o te Taiao the Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy,” says Mr Hughes

"So we would say it's a National Park extension for nature and everyone, certainly one of the most accessible areas for most North Islanders."

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