MEDIA RELEASE

27 March 2007

Public Access Conditions for Sale of Poronui Station Supported

Fish & Game New Zealand is delighted with the public access conditions attached to the sale of Poronui Station to Westervelt Sporting Lodges Ltd., approved by the Government today.

Poronui Station has been the centre of public access controversy for many years, the history of which was a significant factor in the inclusion of the habitat conservation and public access provisions in the new Overseas Investment Act 2005.

“The new Act requires potential owners to demonstrate that their ownership will benefit New Zealand, and specifically addresses the protection of habitat and improvement of public access to public natural resources such as trout fisheries and game birds on, or adjacent to, the land being sold,”said Bryce Johnson, Chief Executive, Fish & Game New Zealand.

“The new owners are to be complemented for embracing the spirit of the new legislation and negotiated openly with Fish & Game New Zealand. Through goodwill and a commitment to a positive outcome from all parties, including the Crown, we now have free and practical public access to renowned trout fishing in the Taharua and Mohaka Rivers.”

“The new conditions for public access to and through Poronui Station are a significant improvement on the status quo, and demonstrate that well drafted legislation can require outcomes that both improve public access and provide for landowner aspirations,” said Steve Smith, Manager of the Hawkes Bay Fish & Game Region which includes the Mohaka Catchment. “We look forward to a joint management approach on these fisheries for the mutual benefit of the new overseas owners and Kiwi anglers alike.”

Bryce Johnson noted, “This decision creates a great precedent for the implementation of the new Act. However, the new irony is that Kiwi anglers and hunters are now better served when sensitive land with special values is sold to overseas buyers than when it is sold to New Zealanders where there is currently no obligation to consider habitat protection or public access issues.”

ENDS

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