Three More Tenure Reviews Settled

9 July 2004

Otago trampers and the public will have formal access to high country land at Ben Avon, Alphaburn and Glen Nevis Stations after three tenure reviews were recently completed and title issued to leaseholders.

The settlements add a further 10,500  hectares of high country to the conservation estate:

• at Ben Avon, the land returned to the conservation estate adjoins the southern boundary of the former Birchwood Station, recently purchased by the Nature Heritage Fund. It is also close to the former Quailburn property which completed tenure review earlier this year

• at Alphaburn, the public will have guaranteed public access to Roys Peak by way of a popular track currently used by about 11,000 people a year. The review also opens up a 10 km public walking route through from Damper Bay to Glendhu Bay on Lake Wanaka, likely to become a very popular and easy walking track along the southern shore of the lake. Two public car parking areas will also be provided

• at Glen Nevis, all of the Nevis valley will be protected, an area which contains significant red tussocklands and shrublands, and a significant altitudinal sequence from the Nevis River to the crest of the Hector Mountains. This is also a popular recreation and historical gold mining area and home to a range of threatened plant and invertebrate species and the native fish, the Nevis River Galaxiid

The Department of Conservation (DOC) is progressively signposting the new conservation areas and marking out access to the land.

Leaseholders at Ben Avon, Alphaburn and Glen Nevis now have freehold title to part of their land.

Land Information New Zealand Manager, Crown Property, Paul Jackson says Tenure Review has delivered results for the three properties.

Leaseholder farmers who have never owned their land freehold get freehold title to part of it, the public conservation estate is increased and the public gets access to land on the three properties they have never had formal access to before.?

Eight properties have now finished Tenure Review under the Crown Pastoral Land Act 1998: Ben Avon; Alphaburn; Glen Nevis; Mt Pisa I and II; Quailburn; Clayton; Ben Ohau.

Leaseholders of a further 22 properties have accepted final proposals for their leasehold land at  Rhoboro Downs, Eastburn, Waitiri, Peak Hill, Dalrachney , Cairnhill, The Knobbies, Double Hill, Glenlapa, Otamatapaio, Merrivale, Geordie Hills, Long Acre, Nine Mile, Shirlmar, Timburn, Raglan Run, West Wanaka, Dome Hills (2 leases), Glen Dhu and Stonehurst.

Public access to the conservation areas is not available until implementation (survey, fencing of the land, final settlement) is complete and DOC signs are put in place.

In addition to the 22 leases for which final proposals have been accepted, a further 16 proposals are in their final stages of development.

For further information please contact:

Paul Jackson
Manager, Crown Property
Land Information New Zealand 
PO Box 5501
WELLINGTON
PH: 04 460 0158
FAX: 04 460 0590
CELL: 027 249 1258
EMAIL: pjackson@linz.govt.nz

LINZ media liaison:

Michael Mead 
Senior Communications Adviser 
Land Information New Zealand 
PO Box 5501
WELLINGTON
PH: (04) 498 3516
FAX: (04) 472 1864
CELL: 027 444 3901
EMAIL: mmead@linz.govt.nz

Department of Conservation

Mike Clare
Tenure Review Manager
Department of Conservation
Canterbury Conservancy
Private Bag 4715
Christchurch
PH: 03 371 3726
FAX: 03 365 1388
CELL: 027 4415 632
EMAIL: mclare@doc.govt.nz

Department of Conservation media liaison:

Nicola Vallance
Community Relations Officer, media
Otago Conservancy
PH: (03) 474 6905
CELL: 027 2222 735
nvallance@doc.govt.nz

Community Relations Officer, media
Canterbury Conservancy
PH: (03) 379 9758
CELL: 025 643 8881

Federated Farmers media liaison

Bob Douglas
Secretary, South Island High Country Committee
Farming House
PO Box 665
Timaru
PH: (0800) 327-646.
FAX: (03) 688-4096.
HM TEL/FAX: (03) 686-4762.
MOBILE: 021 622 822

Email: southcanterbury.ff@fedfarm.org.nz