Ruapehu Mayor Weston Kirton has welcomed the Government’s announcement of $3.5 million from the International Visitor Levy (IVL) to restore more than 3,000 hectares of Tongariro National Park damaged by last year’s major fires.

Mayor Kirton thanked the Government and Conservation Minister Tama Potaka for backing recovery efforts with meaningful, long-term investment.

“Tongariro is not only a Dual World Heritage site of immense cultural and natural significance – it is a cornerstone of the tourism economy for Ruapehu and the wider region,” said Mayor Kirton.

“This $3.5 million investment over five years will make a real and lasting difference.”

The funding will significantly support the implementation of Maunga Ora, the recovery and restoration plan developed by local hapū Ngāti Hikairo ki Tongariro and help restore the mauri of this sacred landscape.

Grounded in science, tikanga and mātauranga Māori, the plan includes sustained weed control, pest management – including deer control – and biodiversity monitoring to protect native regeneration already underway.

“Regeneration is visible on the maunga, but without ongoing protection that progress could be lost,” Mayor Kirton said.

Mayor Kirton said the benefits of the funding will extend well beyond the park boundaries.

“This investment supports local jobs, businesses and communities both directly and indirectly,” he said.

“Directly, through employment created by restoration work on the ground. Indirectly, through the ripple effect of that investment flowing to local businesses and communities that rely on a strong visitor economy.”

Mayor Kirton noted that using International Visitor Levy funding for the project was particularly appropriate.

“The IVL ensures visitor revenue is reinvested into the very places that sustain our tourism economy and local livelihoods,” he said.

“Protecting and restoring Tongariro National Park is not just about ecology – it’s about investing in our whenua, safeguarding jobs, backing our communities, and securing Ruapehu’s long-term future.

“On behalf of the Ruapehu District, I thank Minister Potaka and the Government for this important commitment to our taonga and to the people who depend on it.”

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