Yet the key to FMC's success in the past has been as an advocate for a wide range of outdoor activities which occupy different 'headspace'. Many tramping clubs now run mountain bike trips in areas they used to tramp. If so, conflict may have more to do with the activity than general attitudes to the environment or other users. The Otago CMS statement recognises that new groups are more likely to be involved in conflict than established activities with similar impacts. In general, people resist change, but they do often adapt.
Outdoor events have the potential to raise user conflict to extreme levels.
It's not so long ago now that Robin Judkins shelved the idea of a mountain marathon across the Milford Track after claiming to have received a death-threat from an extreme opponent. The event was planned for the off-season and would probably have had minimal social or environmental impact on the site itself. What the opponents' arguments boiled down to was a strong feeling that 'The Greatest Walk on Earth' would be defiled by a competitive event. Events in any environment can create conflict with existing users, especially if they require exclusive use of the area. There's nothing like access limitations to get habitual track users upset.