These information pages can help you get started in learning about some of the laws and registration requirements that may apply to your Trips or Experiences on Airbnb. These pages include summaries of some of the rules that may apply to different sorts of activities, and contain links to government resources that you may find helpful.
Please understand that these information pages are not comprehensive, and are not legal advice. If you are unsure about how local laws or this information may apply to you or your Experience, we encourage you to check with your city or an attorney.
Please note that we don’t update this information in real time, so you should confirm that the law has not changed recently.*
Generally speaking, you do not need to have a special licence to provide guided visits of public areas in Queenstown. However, you may need permission to provide guided tours of private buildings, certain public buildings or attractions which are open to the public and to provide boat trips.
There is also a new Bylaw in Queenstown relating to Activities in Public Places which requires a licence to operate organised licensed premise tours – which are tours of two or more premises licensed under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012, involving a group of persons that is marketed or advertised to the public or a section of the public in any form. More information and the application form can be found on the Queenstown Lakes District Council website.
To the extent you propose to enter private property as part of the Trip or Experience you should obtain the consent of the property owner to avoid issues of trespass.
If you are providing transport services then consider whether this will require a passenger service licence as further described in our information section on Transport.
The National Parks Act 1980, the Reserves Act 1977 and the Conservation Act 1987 detail certain offences in areas that are designated national parks, reserves or conservation areas. These cover matters such as dog control, fire control, wilful damage, interfering with native animals, and the removal or introduction of certain plants, items or substances.
Generally people may freely enter places declared a conservation area, a historic reserve, or a scenic reserve (subject to specific site restrictions). However, a permit may be required to enter certain nature reserves, and access to a scientific reserve may be restricted from time to time. Additionally, to interact with or handle wildlife and marine mammals, or use public conservation land other than for personal recreation, you need authorisation from the Department of Conservation. More information on applying for permits can be found here.
To the extent that the Trip or Experience includes boating there are a number of requirements that may apply depending on the nature of the boat.
Maritime rules must be complied with and licensing may be required for the vessel and/or the operator of the vessel. For example all users of marine VHF are required to hold a minimum of a marine VHF operator’s qualification and be issued with a radio call sign. Information on pilot’s licensing can be found here, and in relation to commercial jet boat rules and driver licencing can be found here.
The type of registration required for a vessel depends on several factors, including:
The qualifications required for a skipper of a vessel may include certain educational components and will also depend on the nature of the ship that the skipper is operating.