He was later convicted for guiding without consent in 2016 and 2017, resulting in being trespassed by the department from the maunga for another two years. In December 2020, McAlpine’s company, Mt Taranaki Guided Tours, regained a guiding concession from DOC until 2023, and last month passed the Qualworx approved OutdoorsMark safety audit. The audit is the “safety stamp of approval” for operators providing adventure activities to the public. McAlpine is under strict conditions not to guide above the bushline during winter, and only take clients to the summit during summer. The concession does not allow him to guide on the Kokowai Track, or Wilkies Falls to Dawson Falls, as well as the Kokowai Valley.
There are more than 100 sites on the maunga which have cultural significance to Māori. The mountain is an ancestor of the eight iwi in the Taranaki region, and this indivisible connection is one of the elements which is soon to be legally recognised as part of a pending Treaty of Waitangi Settlement. The park is still managed by DOC but Taranaki iwi are expected to take a significantly greater role once the settlement is finalised. Several members of Ngā Iwi o Taranaki, the group negotiating a deal to settle claims related to treaty breaches connected to the maunga, have been approached for comment regarding McAlpine’s concession.