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About usEvents

You’re invited to ACAT’s 2026 AGM

ACAT will be holding its Annual General Meeting at 7:30pm on Monday 9 November 2026. All ACAT supporters and interested climbers are welcome to attend online. Come along if you’re interested in meeting our Board of Trustees and hearing a bit about what ACAT has been up to over the past year! There will be an opportunity for questions after the...
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Access

Handshake to heartbreak

How climbing’s growth is changing the relationships that keep our crags open. It's a story New Zealand climbers know well, because it keeps happening. A local finds a cliff of limestone or ignimbrite on a farm, in a gorge, or on the edge of a scenic reserve. They knock on a door, meet the landowner, and get a nod: sure, you and your mates can...
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Access

The sleeping giant of climbing access

When climbing isn't formally recognised and we lack strong relationships with DOC, councils and mana whenua, even long-established crags on public land can face an uncertain future. Saturday morning, your alarm goes off, the car is packed and you drive to your local crag. You walk down the ever-so-slightly overgrown track and flake your rope...
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AccessLegislation

Ten years of HSWA: How a workplace law changed climbing access

How did a law meant to keep people safe at work end up closing climbing crags?  When Parliament passed the Health and Safety at Work Act in 2015 (HSWA), few would have expected it to affect where New Zealanders could climb. The law was designed to make workplaces safer, but its consequences would reach well beyond building sites and factory...
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AccessDonations

Become an Access Advocate: help build climbing access that lasts, 19 to 25 October

Access Action Week is a nationwide week of action to strengthen the future of climbing access across Aotearoa.  Climbing has grown. Our approach to access needs to grow with it.  More people are climbing than ever before. That's something worth celebrating. But behind the routes, bolts and guidebooks is an access system that hasn't...
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About usVolunteers

ACAT Chairperson wanted

Volunteer Board role | Governance | Climbing access & conservation About ACATThe Aotearoa Climbing Access Trust (ACAT) exists to protect and advocate for public climbing access across Aotearoa New Zealand. We work at the intersection of policy, land management, and community – building relationships with landowners, DOC, Councils, and the...
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AccessLegislation

Government advocacy delivers major health and safety law reform win

ACAT has worked for years to change unclear workplace health and safety laws that raised liability concerns for landowners and inadvertently restricted people’s ability to access crags and other recreation opportunities. That work has now paid off in full.  The recently passed Health and Safety at Work Amendment Act contains a specific...
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Legislation

ACAT calls for a stronger recreation voice in conservation planning

Following our joint recreation sector submission on the Conservation Amendment Bill, ACAT has made two further submissions focused on ensuring recreation and climbing are properly represented in New Zealand's conservation planning system. Earlier this month, ACAT joined nine other leading outdoor recreation organisations in a joint submission on...
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Legislation

Outdoor recreation sector unites against the Conservation Amendment Bill

New Zealand's leading outdoor recreation organisations are calling for changes to the Conservation Amendment Bill. A joint press release from our organisations is below. New Zealand’s public conservation land belongs to all New Zealanders. It is where we hunt, tramp, paddle, climb, fly, cave and ride. The Government’s new Conservation Amendment...
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AccessVolunteers

Nominate an access champion to celebrate National Volunteer Week

It's National Volunteer Week (15-20 June), and we want to recognise and celebrate the people who quietly help keep climbing access and conservation alive across Aotearoa.  ACAT exists to support the climbing community, providing the tools and expertise needed to safeguard long-term access. But real progress happens because local climbers care...
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Access

Learn to use Outdoor Access Commission maps to support crag access

Rock climbing access issues are coming into sharper focus, and the Outdoor Access Commission's public access maps can help climbers connect with the right people. This article is written in collaboration with Herenga ā Nuku Aotearoa, the Outdoor Access Commission (OAC). Read on. Climbing a cliff requires tenacity, and even getting access to...
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AccessLegislation

Have your say on Public Conservation Land management

The government’s Conservation Amendment Bill could reshape how our Public Conservation Land is managed, with significant implications for climbers and the places we care about. ACAT is working alongside FMC and NZAC to represent the climbing community, with public submissions on the Bill open until 2 July 2026. We want your input:Send us your...
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DonationsEvents

ACAT Climbathon: 100 climbs in 4 weeks – take the challenge!

The ACAT Climbathon is a nationwide fundraising and participation event throughout April 2026 bringing climbers together to take action for access.  Climbers can challenge themselves to complete 100 climbs and raise $20,000 to power ACAT’s work. Whether you boulder, sport, trad, or alpine climb, it’s a simple idea with powerful impact: climb...
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AccessWaikatoKawakawa Bay

Guidelines for camping at Kawakawa Bay

Excited for a weekend away at Kawakawa Bay? Who wouldn’t be! But remember it’s crucial that we behave respectfully, leave no trace, and keep climbing access open.  The campsite and many of the cliffs are on DOC and iwi land, with iwi co-governance, and there is currently no formally established agreement for camping or climbing activities....
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Donations

Crag Care Fund now open for applications and donations

The Crag Care Fund, administered by ACAT and incorporating the Kimi Worrell Fund, is now a permanent fund that supports safe and sustainable climbing access across Aotearoa. The Fund was started by the community in 2018 after Kimi Worrell tragically passed away due to a fixed line failure.  The Crag Care Fund provides support for:Projects...
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About usAccessLegislation

Highlights from our 2025 AGM

A year shaped by climbers, volunteers, and community effort. ACAT’s 2024–25 year reflected the collective work of climbers, volunteers, landowners, and partners across the motu, from national advocacy to on-the-ground access projects.A key milestone was seeing ACAT’s submissions accepted in the Whakaari / White Island High Court decision,...
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AccessWaikatoPakeho

Community action supports Pakeho’s future

Thanks to climbers’ donations and care, Pakeho’s access model is thriving. As summer approaches and visits increase, ensure you register for each visit and donate to support ongoing access and maintenance.  It’s been almost a year since climbers returned to Pakeho under the new booking and donation system. A huge thank you to everyone who has...
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AccessCanterburyCastle Hill Basin

Caring for our taonga at Kura Tāwhiti Castle Hill

The world-class bouldering areas in Castle Hill Basin are a great example of effective community engagement with a treasured climbing area.   Local climbers have been proactive over many years to minimise their impact where possible, develop positive relationships with the landowners, and find ways to give back.  What really stands...
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AccessLegislation

Whakaari White Island: we changed the law

For the past 10 years, climbers have fought a losing battle against crag closures, as a lack of legal clarity following the introduction of the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) raised liability concerns for landowners. That all changed recently when ACAT took legal action in the High Court and won. It is difficult to explain the true...
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AccessWaikatoPakeho

Celebrating a massive community effort at Pakeho

Every climber knows the feeling: the quiet frustration when you hear a favourite crag is closed. For many of us, Pakeho was that crag. With its classic limestone routes and stunning Waitomo bush setting, it was a special place for climbers of all levels, and its closure in 2022 was a big loss.  But this sparked a massive effort to bring it...
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