The Supreme Court hearing about land needed for the Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme has wound down.
The hearing at New Zealand's highest court ended on Tuesday - where the Minister for Conservation and Hawke's Bay Regional Investment Company appealed a 2016 Court of Appeal decision.
In September the court had upheld a Forest & Bird appeal that the proposal to exchange 22ha of the land for 170ha of land the Hawke's Bay Regional Investment Company LTD (HBRIC) would potentially buy from Smedley Station, was unlawful.
This would have downgraded the protected conservation status of the Ruahine Forest land to allow it to be flooded as part of the water storage scheme.
Lawyers on behalf of DoC spoke on Monday, followed by Forest & Bird lawyers on Tuesday.