Under the PNG Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) Act, all Australian companies, charities or individuals marketing or leading treks across the Kokoda Trail must be certified as a Foreign Enterprise, registered as an Overseas Company, file Annual Returns, and engage a registered PNG company to organise in-country personnel and logistics.

The PNG Kokoda Track Authority (KTA) is the agency responsible for checking compliance with the provisions of the IPA Act before issuing trek permits to any applicant.

Unfortunately, the KTA has been corrupted in recent years and is no longer fit for purpose.

It no longer publishes financial reports, newsletters, or trekker statistics. Nobody knows where the money goes or what they do!

Their official website is redundant as it has not been updated since 2012.

They no longer publish a list of licensed Kokoda Tour Operators as they have lost management control of the industry.

This has allowed unscrupulous individuals and organisations to bypass their compliance requirements by having one of their village guides register a ‘Business Name’ with the IPA and circumvent their employment and taxation obligations in PNG.

However, this does not absolve them of their legal and moral obligations for compliance in a Third World country!

Until the PNG Government reforms the management of the Kokoda Trail, prospective trekkers should adopt the principle of ‘Caveat Emptor’ (let the buyer beware) when choosing a Kokoda tour operator, as most now operate illegally because the KTA no longer conducts compliance checks.

Trekking with an illegal organisation, company or individual could potentially void any claims for Public Liability Insurance and Travel Insurance.

Note:
Prospective trekkers should check the current status of compliance with the operator they are considering from the following list before lodging any deposit with them.

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