Purchase banks land for conservation park

In January LINZ purchased the 7,861 hectare Twinburn Station pastoral lease between St Bathans and Omarama in Central Otago.

The property is located within the boundaries of the proposed Oteake Conservation Park and adjoins Michael Peak Station, which LINZ and the Nature Heritage Fund bought last year to also include in the park.

Minister for Land Information David Parker described the purchase as another key milestone in establishing Oteake Conservation Park.

"New recreational areas will be opened up for activities like cross country skiing, tramping, horse riding, mountain biking and photography. Opportunities include the ascent of Central Otago's highest peak, Mt St Bathans, and four wheel drive travel across the dividing range between Otago and Canterbury."

LINZ General Manager Business Support Brian Usherwood says the Patterson family offered the lease to the Government last year.

"About 90 percent of the property was suitable for conservation purposes. Twinburn is predominantly steep hill country and mainly run as a merino fine wool operation, although small numbers of cattle and deer are also farmed. Some 6,000 hectares of Twinburn have not been developed and so conservation values are high," Brian says.

"Under the deal LINZ negotiated, about 7,000 hectares of Twinburn will become conservation land while irrigated and other developed farmland will be available to exchange for other areas in the vicinity with high conservation values."

Brian adds that about 360 hectares of developed land surrounding the homestead will be retained as Crown land by LINZ, with the Pattersons granted rights to occupy the homestead and to continue farming operations for two years (with a right of renewal for a further two years). This area will be available for the tenure review of the adjoining Dunstan Peaks pastoral lease property.

The Pattersons will also have the right to graze about 1,500 hectares of land in the Home Block for two years (non-renewable).

Contact for further information: Brian Usherwood, General Manager Business Support, Land Information New Zealand, via info@linz.govt.nz or 0800 ONLINE (0800 665463).