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The Department of Conservation is trawling the internet to track illegal guides moving around the country's national parks and leading trampers on potentially unsafe treks.
Illegal guiding is particularly a problem in the South Island's remote and popular walking tracks, where mostly foreign guides are leading clients on treks without getting the required concession, which includes a safety audit.
Many of these unregistered guides are linked to "fly-by-night" agents in Auckland, whom DoC struggles to trace. Some have even been as bold as to advertise on the internet.
Last year 94 operators were found operating illegally, compared to 60 in 2005.
"Every man and his dog are doing the eco-tourism thing these days," said DoC ranger Ray Bellringer.
DoC staff are sharing information on a computer database so illegal guides can be tracked and caught in the act as they move from park to park. The worst cases may be prosecuted.
"They tend to do the circuits around the south. They probably don't realise how small the country is. We have other strange things going on where we have got guides contacted by agents within New Zealand.
"It is quite difficult for us to pick up who these companies were. They are mainly Auckland based."
DoC Southland spokesman Martin Rodd said his staff were following up on guides advertising South Island trips on the internet, which they did not have concessions to do.
"Some are under investigation at the moment. At the end of the day, if they are breaking the law, you can't rule out prosecution.
"But if they are focused on getting things right, we are pretty keen to get them set up legally, if possible."
Last year DoC introduced identification cards for those who had consent to take groups on to conservation land. Tip-offs about illegal guides often came from legal operators out in the parks each day.
In the past fortnight or so, Mr Bellringer had found three guides - two German and one Chinese - operating illegally in the Aoraki-Mt Cook National Park.
Mr Bellringer said that sometimes the guides were simply ignorant of the rules. "Sometimes they definitely know they are operating illegally and they can be quite evasive."
A concession to guide requires fee payments that depend on client numbers and conditions such as an audited safety plan - especially in areas where the weather can quickly close in and put tramping groups at risk.
The illegal operators created a "very big element of frustration" for registered guides who stick to the law.
"We pay a fortune in concessions for our guides," said Denis Callesen, manager of Mt Cook Village's Hermitage Hotel.
"They go through first aid courses and Ngai Tahu cultural courses. We have a safe operation. And to see fly-by-night people come in with no training and little thought of safety ... We pay the money and they get the benefit of a pristine track."
In one case in recent years, an unregistered guide had taken 105 people on a trek in "lousy weather", and in another case a tramper was blown about 10m on to rocks and injured.
