New Zealand Hut Wardens —
paid and volunteer, roles and responsibilities
by Sam Demas
(Note: this is part of the larger work New Zealand Huts: Notes towards a Country Study)
Hut Wardens are present in Great Walks and Serviced Huts. Such huts are heavily used and often host less experienced trampers, in particular international visitors and beginners. The purpose is to help ensure a safe and enjoyable experience; and they work to minimize environmental impacts in areas of high tramper traffic. The presence of Hut Wardens in busy huts can deter vandalism. and help to set and maintain a positive overall tone within a group of people sharing living space, particularly if guests do not have experience with hut etiquette and sharing space with others.
Paid hut wardens clean the toilets and keep the hut tidy, among many other duties. They are very often quite cheerful and friendly.
Paid hut warden positions are financed directly from the revenues collected. An important role is to ensure guests have reservations when needed, and to check compliance in payment of fees and/or use of hut tickets. At Backcountry Comfort huts wardens are present “only where the revenue gained (from increased hut fee compliance) is greater than the full cost of providing the warden and running the warden’s quarters”. At Standard Huts, (i.e. catering to Backcountry Adventurers), “wardens shall be provided only at times of year when the revenue gained (from increased hut fee compliance) is greater than the full cost of providing the warden and running the warden’s quarters” (quotes from DoC Hut Service Standards, p. 20).
Huts challenged due to growing use (e.g. degradation of water quality in nearby lakes or streams, vandalism, or other misuses of the hut) are assigned Hut Wardens as needed. An example is Blue Lake Hut in Nelson Lakes National Park, where a volunteer Hut Warden was fairly recently assigned. This hut has become a bottle-neck due to increase in use due to traffic on the Te Araroa Track, and overuse of campsites at Blue Lake threatens water quality in its famously clear lake.