Concerns over rushed process and conflict of interest in stewardship land review

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

Environmentalists want the more than 2 million hectares of stewardship land up for review to go into the conservation estate, but others say it’s not all valuable land and parts should be opened up for development.

Stewardship land was allocated to the Department of Conservation (DOC) when it was formed in 1987. About 30 per cent of conservation land, or 2.5 million hectares, is stewardship land, accounting for one-ninth of all New Zealand land – and one third of the West Coast.

The Government announced it would start reclassifying the land on the West Coast and across the top of the South Island. Some land would remain in the DOC estate, but some land with low conservation values could be sold off to private interests.

Federated Mountain Clubs (FMC) and Forest & Bird say most, if not all, of the land should remain under DOC management and the small sections of low value should be rehabilitated to help tackle climate change and the biodiversity crisis.

Buller mayor Jamie Cleine said he totally disagreed that all stewardship land held high conservation values.

“It is clearly not. Large parts of it are really only regenerating scrub land. Parts of Buller’s stewardship land may be beneficial to be freed up.”

Allowing land to be developed would also mean more rates for the council and potentially more jobs for West Coasters, he said.

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