"The use of political discretion and public engagement in managing National Park tourism: comparative study on New Zealand and Tasmania". Conference paper presented at the Australian Political Studies Association Conference State of Democracy and Politics: Local, regional and global. University of Western Australia, Perth, 28 - 29 November 2024.

Tasmania and New Zealand are acclaimed for their extensive Protected Area (PAs) networks. They share a history of bottom-up PA management, with extensive inputs from citizens and local/regional conservation boards. However, concerns have been raised, lately, over the exercise of political discretion by conservative politicians. This study compares the decision-making discretion of PA ministers in Tasmania and New Zealand and the public engagement opportunities afforded by law. The study focused on decisions regarding PA zoning and tourism concessions. Two case studies were selected, to also analyse relevant claims in the public sphere, since 2012: the Cradle Mountain Lake Saint Clare National Park in Tasmania and the Westland Tai Pounamu in New Zealand. The study found that the decision discretion of PA ministers is remarkably wide; however, it is wider in Tasmania, especially regarding concessions. In Tasmania, transparency is lower regarding the environmental assessments of concessions and whether to notify concession applications. The ministers’ competences to modify PA zoning, to accommodate demand for concessions, were used in both Parks, while the quality and timing of public engagement recorded deficiencies. So far, public resistance to politically-driven PA commercialization, beyond management plan provisions, has produced more tangible results in New Zealand.