The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) may enter into sponsorship arrangements with appropriate organisations and individuals to support the delivery of conservation and park visitor programs, beyond business-as-usual park management.

This policy sets out how these arrangements can occur. It aligns with the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) guidance and the NSW Government Sponsorship Policy (PDF 624KB).

This policy is for sponsorships with external parties to support on-park activities and programs (incoming sponsorship). For information on proposals for NPWS to sponsor external parties (outgoing sponsorship), refer to the Environment and Heritage Sponsorship webpage.

Policy

  1. Sponsorships are a means to support the delivery of NSW Government and NPWS objectives for the management of national parks, beyond routine, business-as-usual park management.
  2. This policy applies to sponsorship arrangements that involve the offer of monetary or in-kind contributions (such as goods and services) to NPWS.
  3. Proposals will be considered on their merits and tested against clear suitability criteria.
  4. Consultation with relevant Aboriginal joint management partners will occur before sourcing or accepting a sponsorship offer that applies to a park under joint management arrangements.
  5. Sponsorship arrangements:
    1. must be consistent with legislative requirements
    2. will align with NPWS values and strategic conservation and management priorities, including in the following areas:
      • threatened species conservation
      • ecological monitoring and restoration (including climate change and carbon initiatives)
      • acquisition of priority lands for inclusion in the national parks system
      • park visitor infrastructure and assets that deliver benefits to local and regional communities, including improved accessibility and economic opportunities
      • conservation of historic and cultural heritage sites, including projects that engage local communities and Aboriginal people in restoration, interpretive works, and facilitate connection to Country
      • improvements to the park visitor experience, including educational activities, promotions and events that support sustainable access and enjoyment of parks.
    3. must consider the potential benefits to the NSW Government as a whole, not just NPWS.
  6. Sponsorship arrangements that NPWS enters into will be publicly disclosed and published on the website within 45 working days of the agreement taking effect.

Suitability criteria

  1. The following are the minimum risk assessment criteria for potential sponsorship arrangements:
    1. Proposals must maintain public confidence in the integrity of NPWS and its programs. Before entering into a sponsorship agreement, NPWS will consider:
      • the reputation of the prospective sponsor – individuals or organisations must be reliable and have a good track record in their relevant area of business or operations
      • any potential impacts to existing projects, programs and resourcing
      • whether the values and objectives of the potential sponsor align with those of NPWS and the NSW Government
      • any perceived or real conflict of interest in relation to current, future or potential commercial arrangements
      • whether in-kind contributions (that is, goods or services) are fit for purpose and meet the needs of NPWS.
    2. Proposals must provide NPWS with value for money.
    3. Relevant Aboriginal organisations must be consulted for proposals that apply to joint managed parks (the agreement of joint management partners may also be required under some joint management arrangements).
    4. NPWS is not obliged to accept a sponsorship offer. Proposals:
      • will not be accepted if they conflict with NPWS’s legislative obligations, values and initiatives in conservation or community wellbeing
      • will not be accepted from political parties or elected officials, or candidates for political office
      • will not be accepted from organisations or individuals associated with adult entertainment, gaming/gambling, tobacco, alcohol, or firearms
      • may otherwise be accepted, or declined, on a case-by-case basis consistent with this policy and accompanying procedures.
    5. NPWS will not endorse a sponsor’s product or service.

Sourcing sponsors

  1. NPWS may actively initiate and seek out appropriate sponsors.
  2. NPWS may also receive unprompted proposals initiated by a potential sponsor.

Sponsorship agreements

  1. Sponsorship arrangements will be documented in a written agreement between NPWS and the relevant individual(s) or organisation(s).
  2. The terms and format of the agreement will be determined by the scope, complexity, duration, and sensitivities of the arrangement.
  3. NPWS recognises the important role that individuals, community groups and businesses may have in supporting specific, small-scale projects that benefit their local communities. NPWS will apply a flexible approach to assessing the suitability of small-scale localised proposals and prepare tailored, streamlined agreements.

Negotiation and management of sponsorship arrangements

  1. NPWS will negotiate and manage sponsorship arrangements with the highest standards of ethical behaviour.
  2. NPWS employees must comply with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water’s Code of Ethics and Conduct, declare any real or perceived conflicts of interest, and adhere to the department’s Gifts, Benefits and Hospitality Policy.
  3. NPWS may determine that an agreement should be modified, suspended or terminated based on new information, or the outcomes of monitoring and review processes, and in consultation with the sponsor.

Procedures

  1. This policy should be read in conjunction with the Sponsorship procedures (internal document), which provide further guidance on entering into sponsorship arrangements.

About the policy

Policy adopted 7 December 2025

Scope and application

Lands

This policy applies to all lands acquired or reserved under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NPW Act) except for lands reserved under Part 4A of the Act (unless the Board of Management for those lands has adopted the policy). However, NPWS staff can use the policy as guidance when working with Boards of Management and on Part 4A lands.

Arrangements

This policy applies to sponsorship arrangements (as defined) offered by external organisations or individuals to NPWS, regardless of whether such proposals are unprompted or were actively invited by NPWS. Excluded matters are set out in the Definitions section of this policy.

This policy is general in nature. Where other policies or guidelines exist that are more specific to a particular sponsorship proposal or activity, or class of activities, these should be referred to as the primary source of guidance.

Donations

This policy does not apply to:

  • donations of land – Section 148 of the NPW Act sets out the powers of the Minister for the Environment to accept donations of property. NPWS is not obliged to accept a donation of land. Offers of donations of land for inclusion in the national parks system must be fully evaluated by NPWS in line with existing land assessment processes.
  • donations of money – These are dealt with in accordance with relevant NPWS revenue management policies and procedures.
  • bequests – These are dealt with consistent with arrangements for donations of land and money (above), subject to specific consideration of the terms of the bequest and any legislative requirements. NPWS is not obliged to accept a bequest.
  • operations or decision-making of the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Trust (see below). 
Objectives

This policy aims to:

  • outline the role of sponsorships in supporting NPWS conservation, park visitor and land management activities and programs, beyond routine management
  • identify the type of sponsorship arrangements that are appropriate and will be considered
  • guide processes for establishing and managing sponsorships to support transparent decision-making and accountability.
Definitions

Donations

A donation is a gift. Donations usually do not involve the provision of benefits to the donor. However, recognition of the donation may be appropriate (such as via interpretive signage).

This policy does not apply to donations of land or money (including bequests). 

Excluded matters

The NSW Government Sponsorship Policy sets out various matters that are not in scope of a sponsorship proposal: for example, the purchase of goods and services by agencies and advertising-related purchases (such as the use of ‘brand ambassadors’).

These excluded matters also apply to this NPWS Sponsorship policy. In addition, this policy does not apply to:

  • donations (see above)
  • the dedication of a bench, tree or statue (or similar), where this is addressed by the Memorials in parks policy
  • other working arrangements and partnerships (see below).

National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Trust

The National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Trust (the Trust) is established under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NPW Act) as a statutory entity with an independent Board. The Trust is the statutory not-for-profit partner of NPWS and can accept tax-deductible donations.

This policy does not apply to or affect the operations and decision-making of the Trust or Trust Board in accordance with legislative obligations.

However, NPWS may work with the Trust to develop and enter into arrangements for sponsorships with each other and with external parties, where these are consistent with legislative requirements and this policy. 

Other working arrangements and partnerships

NPWS regularly enters into working arrangements and partnerships with research organisations, academic institutions, and volunteer and community groups. This policy may provide useful guidance in these circumstances, but it is not mandatory for these types of arrangements. Where specific frameworks, guidelines or policies exist, they should be applied.

The NSW Government also administers programs that seek to achieve conservation goals through partnerships with landowners (such as biodiversity conservation agreements) and park neighbours (such as boundary fencing agreements). Such arrangements are not covered by this policy.

Sponsorship 

This is an arrangement in which a sponsor (individual, business or other organisation) provides a sponsorship recipient with a monetary or in-kind contribution (goods or services) to support an activity, in return for specified benefits to the sponsor. The benefits usually involve public acknowledgement of the fact that the sponsor has contributed to the activity.

For example, sponsorship in a national park might include funding or in-kind contributions towards:

  • restoration of a heritage building
  • upgrading walking tracks or a visitor centre
  • restoration of threatened species habitat
  • support for marketing or promotional activities
  • a particular event.

Sponsorships can range from short-term, one-off arrangements that support a specific project or activity to ongoing, broader, longer-term projects spanning several years. A sponsor may have the benefit of their contribution recognised in various ways, such as on-park interpretive signage and promotional materials, as set out in the sponsorship agreement.

Unprompted proposals

These are proposals for sponsorship arrangements initiated by organisations or individuals seeking a relationship with NPWS – that is, not in response to an invitation, advertising or prospectus generated by NPWS.

Accountabilities

In general, NPWS Branch Directors are responsible for ensuring proposed sponsorships are considered under this policy.

Further information on assessing and managing these arrangements is provided in the Sponsorship procedures (internal document).