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Fish and Game New Zealand has attacked suggestions that landowners retain rights of veto over public access and said the Government may be giving in to the views of a few "extremist" farmers.
Its views were echoed by the Council of Outdoor Recreation Association (Coranz) which said rumours that the Land Access Panel had got cold feet in its recommendations to the Government were a grave concern.
Before the last election, the Government put on hold proposals to create public walkways beside rivers, lakes and remote coastlines following a huge backlash by farmers but still lost rural seats as a result.
An independent reference panel, led by South Canterbury farmer John Acland, was set up to look at the issue and its recommendations are about to be considered by the Government.
Reports from sources close to the Government have suggested that landowners would retain rights of veto over public access, including to public land or resources.
The National Party has called on the Government to immediately release the report.
On Thursday, Rural Affairs Minister Damien O'Connor told NZPA the panel's final report was before a Cabinet committee. It would probably be released in March.
Fish and Game spokesman Neil Deans said yesterday Government commitments to "complete the Queen's Chain" were at the heart of the land access issue.
"We find it difficult to believe that landowners could be given rights of veto over public access to public resources," he said.
Public interest groups such as Fish and Game have been urging the Government to commit resources to complete the Queen's Chain since first elected in 1999.
"New Zealand has always had a Queen's Chain, since Queen Victoria's instructions to Governor Hobson in 1840," Mr Deans said.
"It is incomplete, however, due to the failings of successive governments."
"It is a distinguishing feature of New Zealand society that we allow walking access to waterways, the coast and to public lands rather than the private beaches or rivers found in other countries.
"While land owners undoubtedly have property rights, these are not absolute. Public lands like legal roads and reserves, water, fisheries and wildlife are public resources, to which the public has rights of access."
Coranz spokesman Hugh Barr said the council had been extremely concerned that knowledgeable outdoor recreation professionals had been largely shut out of Labour's two recent access panels on improving public access.
"Of the eight members on the current panel, only one has a professional outdoor recreation background," Dr Barr said."The other seven have backgrounds involving landowner or rural interests."
National Party agriculture spokesman David Carter said there was no reason for any delay for the release of the report and the Government should explain why it had wasted so much time and money "on this futile proposal in the first place".
- NZPA
