Extensive South Canterbury properties complete Tenure Review
2 December 2005
An area of international scientific interest and the freeholding of large areas of productive farmland are features of the tenure reviews for two extensive South Canterbury Crown pastoral leasehold properties. The lessees of Simon's Hill pastoral lease and Ben Dhu Station have signed substantive proposals for tenure review. The agreements will see a total of 803 hectares become public conservation land and 9,552 hectares pass to freehold ownership.
Simon's Hill pastoral lease lies in the Mackenzie Basin between Twizel and Tekapo. More than 90 percent of the 6,426 hectare station - a combination of developed hill country and flats - will pass to freehold ownership.
The 407 hectares of Simon's Hill to become public conservation land will provide a protected habitat for a broad range of vegetation communities, invertebrates, bird life and native reptiles. The conservation area includes a wetland used by the endangered black stilt for feeding and nesting.
Public access to the wetland, and a protected hill area, will be provided through a combination of easements and a marginal strip along the Mary Burn - a popular stream for recreational anglers.
A discrete remnant bog pine and mountain toatoa community, of considerable international scientific interest, is part of the 396 hectares set aside under the Ben Dhu Station tenure review. Public access is being provided from the Quailburn Road for foot access as that this unique habitat can be enjoyed. The South Canterbury property is in the Upper Waitaki Basin, about 17 kilometres west of Omarama.
Also included in the conservation area is a higher-altitude sequence running from 800 up to about 1,500 metres above sea level. This mountain landscape includes everything from scree and rock outcrops to tall tussocks and cushion fields.
A number of other nearby properties have already undergone tenure review, including Quailburn, Dalrachney, Ben Avon and Longslip Station.
As part of the Ben Dhu review, 3,523 hectares will become freehold. The farmland is a well developed and extensive sheep, cattle and deer farming property. The review will allow the owner to explore alternative uses for the large flat areas and increase production and livestock numbers, free from the constraints of the former pastoral lease.
Tenure review summary
Of the original 304 Crown pastoral leases, 46 have now passed through tenure review. Of these reviews, 25 have so far been fully implemented. (Implementation is considered complete when the necessary surveying and fencing has been completed, conservation land designated for Crown ownership has been passed to DOC, and freehold title has been issued for land designated freehold under the review.) A further 145 pastoral leases are engaged in earlier stages of tenure review.
| Tenure review progress as at 17 November 2005 | Number of leases | Land to Crown (ha) | Land to freehold (ha) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tenure review implementation complete | 25 | 51,177 | 70,605 |
| Final Proposal (substantive proposal) signed off; implementation under way. | 21 | 41,352 | 67,592 |
For further information please contact:
Paul Jackson
Manager, Crown Property
Land Information New Zealand
Private Box 5501
WELLINGTON
PH: 04 460 0158
FAX: 04 460 0590
CELL: 027 249 1258
EMAIL: pjackson@linz.govt.nz
LINZ media liaison:
Tanya St George
Strategic Communications Manager
Land Information New Zealand
Private Box 5501
WELLINGTON
PH: 04 498 3844
FAX: 04 472 1864
CELL: 027 287 9403
EMAIL: tstgeorge@linz.govt.nz
Department of Conservation media liaison:
Leanne Scott / Sarah Mankelow
Community Relations Officers
Media
Canterbury Conservancy
PH: 03 379 9758
CELL: 025 643 8881
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
Federated Farmers media liaison:
Bob Douglas
Industry Manager 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
CELL : 021 622 822
EMAIL: southcanterbury.ff@fedfarm.org.nz
