Why we exist:

Many of New Zealand’s caves are under private land. The access to these caves is controlled by the land owners, most of whom have allowed access to cavers to date. However, there is a risk that future owners will deny access, as has happened in many overseas countries.

Cavers have an obligation to minimize their footprint in caves. Members of NZSS agree to a Code of Conduct and learn how to move through caves efficiently and with care.

We have established the NZSS Cave Conservation and Access Trust in order to purchase and manage land in order to enhance the conservation of caves and the land above them, and to manage access in perpetuity.

The objectives of the Trust are to purchase and manage land within New Zealand for:

1. The conservation of caves and karst environments, and;

2. The management of access to caves and karst environments for recreational and other purposes.

Key initiatives:

Since the establishment of the Trust early in 2022, we have focused mainly on developing and implementing the Greenlink Cave Conservation and Access Project. Greenlink Cave is the first explored entrance to the 40+km long Middle Earth Cave System, currently New Zealand’s second longest cave.

In February 2023, we commenced work on the Honeycomb Hut Restoration Project.