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 July 2022 wave, surveying activity from the previous month - June 2022, is available below.

• Monthly Topline Report – July 2022

Key findings for July 2022

• This month, visitor frequency for Protected Areas (1.8) and Heritage Places (1.0) remained high. The average number of people visiting a Protected Area was higher than a year ago (1.6).
• The number of New Zealanders visiting at least one Protected Area (49%) or Heritage Place (34%) in the past month remained similar to June.
• Younger New Zealanders (18–34) and Māori continue to have the highest visitation rates to both Protected Areas and Heritage Places.
• This month there was a small deterioration in Protected Areas’ visitor experience, with the management of visitor impacts, overall satisfaction and NPS all falling. Although poor winter weather could contribute to this, the levels are generally lower than for the last winter.
• In contrast, the measures for Heritage Places all improved from last month.
• People who live near or regularly visit river / lake areas are more likely to see more negative effects, while those who live near or regularly visit bush / forest areas see fewer negative and positive effects.

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.