A North Canterbury farming couple engaged in a legal battle with the Commissioner of Crown Lands have been awarded nearly $1 million after a block of their former land was revalued in their favour.
High country farmers Mark and Karen Feary gave up the family farm to theDepartment of Conservation in 2004 after legal battles with conservation officials dating from 1984.
The Fearys had been denied access to their land since 1998 after the 1780ha Mt Oxford Station, which had been in their family for 70 years, was confiscated for non-payment of rent.
In March, arbitrator Hugh Rennie QC ruled a block of 850ha had to be revalued in the family's favour.
The arbitrator's findings meant the Crown had to do a "full and proper" valuation on Mt Oxford "as if areas of rock, gorse and beech forest are not there", Mr Feary said.
Instead, the ruling said the area to be valued must all grow pasture suitable for pastoral farming.
The result was a $900,000 award, released yesterday.
The couple have already received $1 million from the Crown.
Mr Feary said it was a great result, but only another step in their long-running legal battle. The Fearys are back in court against the Crown on September 25 to determine costs.
"The state has so far paid Karen and I more than $1 million and are now staring down the barrel of millions more," Mr Feary said. "This is what the Crown gets for not honouring the pastoral lease contract in the first place."
