Agreement reached for Dunstan Downs tenure review

Recreation and conservation in the Lindis are the winners in the Dunstan Downs Crown pastoral lease’s tenure review, with 99% of the property to become public conservation land. The tenure review agreement for the 12,351.4 hectare property, which spans Canterbury and Otago, was announced recently by LINZ.

Dunstan Downs stretches from the Ahuriri River in the north to Lindis Pass in the west, and to Mt St Bathans in the south. Approximately 80% of the area is sparsely vegetated or rocky high country with little to no value for grazing, but the land is of high landscape and ecological importance and has strong conservation and recreation values.

A preliminary proposal for the review was publicly advertised in September 2020, and FMC wrote a submission on the preliminary proposal. FMC recommended greater protection than proposed, based on the objects of the Crown Pastoral Land Act 1998 and relevant underpinning science, and is delighted with the outcome of this review.

LINZ Head of Crown Property Sonya Wikitera says under the agreement for Dunstan Downs around 12,250 hectares will become public conservation land. This is significantly higher than the 9,500 hectares proposed under the preliminary proposal.

To find out more, visit www.linz.govt.nz/news/2022-04/agreement-reached-for-dunstan-downs-tenure-review.

Photo at top: High Country on Mt St Bathans, featuring sparsely vegetated alpine landscapes and nationally significant rock glaciers. (c) Danilo Hegg