McAlpine to return to mountain
A controversial Taranaki mountain climber who has scaled the maunga more than 1800 times is on the verge of returning to guiding clients in the park he has been involved in for a lifetime.
But the Department of Conservation (DOC) said following feedback from iwi during consultation on Ian McAlpine’s application, his concession would be just two years instead of the 10 he asked for, and he would have restrictions on where he could operate.
In the past McAlpine, 70, has been criticised by iwi for ignoring the cultural values and protocols of the maunga. For his part, McAlpine said that while he respects Ma¯ori culture he would rather tell his clients ‘‘real’’ stories about the mountain, not the ‘‘cultural myths’’.
There are more than 100 sites on the maunga which have cultural significance to Ma¯ori.
The mountain is an ancestor of the eight iwi in the Taranaki region, and this indivisible connection is one of the elements which is soon to be legally recognised as part of a pending Treaty of Waitangi Settlement.
The park is still managed by DOC but Taranaki iwi are expected to take a significantly greater role once the settlement is finalised.
Several members of Nga¯ Iwi o Taranaki, the group negotiating a deal to settle claims related to treaty breaches connected to the maunga, have been approached for comment regarding McAlpine’s concession.
McAlpine has been in open dispute with DOC since the department terminated his guiding permit in December 2014 for non-payment of fees.
His relationship with the department deteriorated further after he was twice convicted for guiding on Mt Taranaki in 2016 and 2017 without proper consent and was trespassed for two years from the national park, and from any DOC office.
After numerous attempts to reapply to work on the mountain, he has now been offered a concession to guide in Te Papakura o Taranaki (Egmont National Park), including Taranaki Maunga.
The concession relies on the completion of an audited safety plan.
‘‘I hope to be back guiding clients by January once the safety plan is finished, and my website is available,’’ McAlpine said.
Should McAlpine’s safety plan be approved, the concession permit would allow him to guide clients, take photographs, develop team-building skills, and conduct nature activities around Mt Taranaki until July 2023.
In a written response to an Official Information Act request, DOC Hauraki/Waikato/Taranaki operations director Dan Heinrich said McAlpine had lost his previous concession because he had not met the obligations required.
The shortened duration of the concession stemmed from feedback provided during consultation with iwi, Heinrich said.
‘‘It is important to note Section 4 of the Conservation Act requires DOC to give effect to the Treaty of Waitangi and in a practical sense this means exercising significant care and diligence to management of sites significant to iwi,’’ Heinrich said.
McAlpine is not able to guide on the Kokowai Track, or the Wilkies Falls to Dawson Falls track because of ‘‘potential cultural impacts’’.
Heinrich said the Kokowai
Valley was not included in McAlpine’s concession because the area was a significant location, under the Egmont National Park Management Plan, for collecting kokowai.
Kokowai is a red clay used for decoration and cultural use.
‘‘DOC has a key role actively protecting this site while Treaty negotiation continues,’’ he said.
Wilkies Pools to Dawson Falls is also excluded from the concession because the route is culturally significant to the Ratana faith, Heinrich said.
McAlpine said attempts in the past to reapply for a concession had been blocked by the department over his alleged lack of cultural awareness.
He claimed the stand-off between the two parties was complicated by a lack of cultural guidelines that guides were expected to follow, and personality clashes between himself, DOC staff and iwi.
‘‘I am an adventurer and while I respect Maori culture I would rather tell my clients the real stories of the maunga, and not retell cultural myths,’’ he said.