Plans are under way to protect Tekapo's famous Church of the Good Shepherd from bad parking, damage and visitors using the "bushes as toilets''.
By Claire Taylor of Local Democracy Reporting
The Mackenzie District Council's Lake Tekapo Master Plan proposes to recognise the popular tourist site as a New Zealand Heritage Precinct.
The plan aims to improve traffic flow while maintaining lake views and walkability in the area. It could mean more parking restrictions and a slower speed limit.
"People are using the trees and bushes as toilets," Mackenzie mayor Scott Aronsen said.
"I know there's some concerns around… people parking up and enjoying the view, and buses parked in all sorts of odd and unusual places."
By establishing the church as a New Zealand heritage precinct, proper plaques and signage could be implemented, protecting the land from further damage.
The picturesque church opened in 1935 and was the only church in Lake Tekapo, drawing about 300,000 visitors per year.
A report on the master plan was tabled at a council meeting last week as part of an overarching traffic management plan.
The Tekapo Community Board first approved the plan in August 2025, prioritising work on The Church of the Good Shepherd on Pioneer Drive and Rapuwai Lane.
In January, the draft master plan was presented to council and outlined the potential establishment of the church as a New Zealand heritage precinct.
Already recognised as a protected New Zealand heritage site, concerns had grown over the damage to the area caused by tourists.
The draft outlined the consultation with Tekapo residents, in which 18 out of 26 submitters expressed a desire for bus parking, timed parking, and reduced traffic along Pioneer Drive.
Priorities for the community board included introducing a 30kpm/h speed limit, adding P5 drop-off zones, restricting heavy vehicles, prohibiting parking near the footbridge, and creating P30 parks along the carriageway between the footbridge and the church to ease congestion.
However, some residents and nearby local landowners opposed the proposal, saying the plan could limit what could be done to the property and create additional costs and obligations.
Out of six people consulted about the proposed heritage overlay last year, two opposed it, saying the designated area was too restrictive.
The church property trustees, the church committee, and Heritage NZ all generally supported the overlay, but expressed the plan needed work.
"The Heritage Overlay for the Church of the Good Shepherd as proposed is too extensive and is not sufficiently assessed and supported by technical heritage assessment," wrote the the church trustees said in their submission to council in January.
Heritage New Zealand said the plan needed to be clearer and stronger to ensure heritage sites were properly protected.
The council adopted the initial part of the draft at its council meeting late last month, with Aronsen noting there was still much discussion to be had, particularly around project costs.
He said the council would continue these discussions as the master plan developed.
The Mackenzie council had worked through 2025, consulting with residents and finalising the master plan.
Heritage specialist Richard Knott carried out an assessment of Pioneer Drive and the church, issuing recommendations in the council's Plan Change 28 heritage report last November.
He recommended implementing a new heritage overlay for the church to protect the site's natural views and prevent future building which would reduce the landscape essential for a heritage site.
The council was expected to deliver final decisions on the master plan later in the year.
– Local Democracy Reporting is local-body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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