Jan Finlayson - Public Access, Stewardship Land, and Grasshoppers

Jan Finlayson has spent a lifetime exploring and advocating for New Zealand’s wild places. In this conversation she reflects on childhood memories of camping and school tramps, early adventures on the Routeburn, and the lessons learned from near misses in the mountains and rivers. We talk about her strong views on hut booking systems and access rights, and why legal roads and stewardship land matter for the future of conservation. Jan’s stories move between humour, challenge, and deep care for the backcountry — and remind us what’s at stake in protecting the places we tramp.