The Public Pulse of Conservation is a survey of Aotearoa New Zealand residents conducted by the Department of Conservation. The survey is administered on behalf of the department by Ipsos, and captures 1,000 responses every month. The results from each monthly survey ‘wave’ are normally published by the end of the month in which they are collected.

Ipsos collates a monthly topline report summarising the findings from the survey. The report for the December 2022 wave, surveying activity from the previous month - November 2022, is available below.

• Monthly Topline Report – December 2022 - Department of Conservation

Key findings for December 2022

• Visits to DOC-managed places have fallen slightly when compared with the last couple of months, possibly due to the overly-wet spring, but visits to Protected Natural Areas are still higher than last December (during which Auckland was in lockdown until Dec 15th).
• The average number of visits to Protected Natural Areas and Protected Heritage Places has also fallen this month, stable with levels seen last December. This follows after average visits to Protected Natural Areas were the highest recorded last month.
• Visitor satisfaction at Protected Natural Areas for the condition of trails and facilities has increased compared to last month.
• The main issue of concern relates to Protected Heritage Places:
  • Protected Heritage Places’ NPS has decreased due to an increase in Detractors and a decrease in Promoters.
  • Overall experience at PHPs has also decreased.
  • Visitor satisfaction with the safety information at Protected Heritage Places has decreased compared to last month

The Sustainable Tourism Explorer will soon be updated with measures from the Public Pulse of Conservation survey, and a data release page will be developed to surface key data for you to interact and download for your own insights.