25 August 2009
Forest & Bird media release for immediate use

Government undermines high country protection

The Government has set back progress in protecting New Zealand’s iconic high country by a decade, Forest & Bird says.

Agriculture Minister David Carter and Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson announced today that the Government will rescind the previous Government policy which protected high country lakeside properties from inappropriate development.

The previous policy prevented pastoral leasehold properties on lake shores being part of the tenure review process, which put some parts of former Crown-owned leases into private ownership.

Forest & Bird General Manager Mike Britton says the move means that leasehold properties with significant landscapes that are an important part of New Zealand’s unique high country heritage are under threat from subdivision, intensive agriculture and other inappropriate development if they are privatised.

The new policy announced by the Government today also means that high country conservation and recreation parks are less likely to be created, thus putting at risk its conservation and recreation values and public access.

“A network of high country parks would protect some of our most fragile and threatened high country landscapes, environments and native plants and animals. Good progress has been made over the last decade in establishing high country parks but the announcement today spells threatens that progress.”

Mike Britton says Forest & Bird is pleased to see that the Government recognises the value New Zealanders place on lakeside landscapes and views and public access, and undertakes to protect these.

However he says alternative protection such as covenants do not achieve the same protection as publicly-owned parks, as protection measures are not monitored or enforced, and do not guarantee public access.

The high country parks that have already been created have been a huge benefit to high country communities and in particular New Zealand’s high country tourism, which generates $4 billion in tourism revenue. By comparison high country farm gate revenue was little more than $100 million.

While Forest & Bird recognises that farmers can make an important contribution to the protection of the high country, management of conservation lands by the Department of Conservation is crucial in securing adequate protection and public access, Mike Britton says.

ENDS

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