Eugenie Sage: Natural heritage being robbed

The Government's review of land tenure in the South Island High Country promises much: thousands of hectares of dramatic landscapes, some of our most endangered plant and animal species, and free recreational access protected in a network of High Country parks.

Unfortunately, the truth has been somewhat less of a win for conservation and the New Zealand public. Instead, we are giving away much of our stunning and unique High Country in the biggest wave of privatisation New Zealand has seen since Roger Douglas was in the driving seat, only this time most New Zealanders are unaware it is happening.

Tenure review is a land reform process in which parts of the High Country properties held as pastoral leases pass to leaseholders as freehold land, while other areas become part of the public conservation estate, managed by the Department of Conservation. Any difference in value in the exchange is made up in cash payments.

Under the Crown Pastoral Land Act 1998, land with significant inherent values - and that includes historical, ecological, scientific and cultural characteristics - should be protected by being restored to full Crown ownership and control, as public conservation land. The Act also requires tenure review to improve public access to the High Country.

But the reality has been somewhat different from the rosy picture conjured by the intentions of the Act, and the Government department overseeing the process, Land Information NZ (Linz).

In reality, the balance of land and money has swung in favour of High Country farmers while conservation and the New Zealand public are being short-changed.

As at November last year, of 46 pastoral leases where tenure review was complete or virtually complete, 138,197ha of the High Country were handed to farmers as freehold land, while just 92,529ha were protected as conservation land.

That's a ratio of 60:40 in favour of the farmers, well short of the 50:50 split stated as the intended result by Linz.

And despite the farmers being well ahead in hectares gained, from 1998 to June last year the Government paid the former leaseholders $15.5 million. They're getting the money and the bag.

So it was with concern but no great surprise that Forest & Bird noted that the most recently announced proposal, for the 9567ha Richmond pastoral lease on Lake Tekapo's eastern shores, reflects the short-changing that has typified tenure review so far.

Visitors to Tekapo's Church of the Good Shepherd have a panoramic view over the lake's intensely blue waters to snowy peaks and tawny tussocklands uncluttered by buildings.

This is partly because most of the land around Lake Tekapo is in five pastoral leases: Richmond, Mt Gerald, Godley Peaks, Glenmore and Mt Hay.

That pastoral lease status and the lack of development rights has safeguarded much of the shores of Lakes Tekapo and Pukaki from the intensive "McMansion" subdivision sprawl which has afflicted other scenic gems, such as Lakes Wakatipu and Taupo.

Under tenure review, the stunning landscapes and environment around Lakes Tekapo and Pukaki are now vulnerable to major change and habitat loss.

All five leases around Lake Tekapo have signed up for the tenure review programme. Another five pastoral leases also adjoin Lake Pukaki.

Under the Richmond proposal, the current leaseholder will get 5824ha, 64 per cent of the property, as freehold land, including more than 9km of lake frontage.

The land to be freeholded also includes land on both sides of Coal River, which flows into Lake Tekapo. The river provides habitat for four of New Zealand's most-threatened bird species - black stilt/kaki, wrybill, black fronted tern and black billed gull. By freeholding up to the lower river, Linz has failed to buffer and protect the habitat from future intensive farm development or subdivision, against DoC's recommendation.

Richmond has been Crown land for more than 150 years. Its dramatic landscapes are part of the heritage of all New Zealanders.

The concept of High Country conservation parks is admirable. Forest & Bird and Federated Mountain Clubs are campaigning for a six pack of parks as priorities in an extensive network of High Country parks. But tenure review is delivering smaller, more fragmented and fewer parks.

Once land has passed into private ownership, the Resource Management Act cannot be relied on to safeguard landscape and ecological values.

In the sparsely populated Mackenzie District, subdivision has increased significantly, with 758 new sections in the two years to October last year.

The Tekapo township is booming, with suburban sections selling for more than $100,000. You can bet Peter Jackson isn't planning to include that suburban sprawl in his next epic movie.

A Richmond leaseholder has said he has no immediate plans to subdivide Richmond but the financial incentives will be tempting, and there are no legal constraints to prevent a change of mind.

If we allow this tenure review process to continue and do not demand that it delivers the environmental, recreational and cultural protection that the law says it must, all New Zealanders - bar a handful of farmers - will be robbed of some of our most precious natural heritage that will never be regained.

* Eugenie Sage is Forest & Bird's South Island field co-ordinator.