Reclassification recommendations for stewardship land on the West Coast have been announced, and recommendations include reclassifying approximately 77,000 hectares (12%) as National Park, 347,000 hectares (54%) as Conservation Park and 182,000 hectares (28%) as Historic Reserve.
But what do the recommendations actually mean for your preferred form of recreation in particular locations?
FMC is providing the following guidance to help people make submissions. Other organisations like Forest & Bird have also put useful information online.
Key information
- For background information, read the Government media release including statistics
- The recommendation reports can be found here: www.doc.govt.nz/stewardship-land-documents
- You can use FMC’s Stewardship Land Map to locate the different parcels of land
- Submissions are open until the 23th of August, and can be made here: Submission process
How to submit
The submission process allows for individual or group/organisation submissions. You can either submit online using the generic form or submit in your own words and format (this second option may be better if you want to include photos or other supporting information).
A good starting point would be to look at all recommendation reports and pick out the key areas that are most relevant for you or your club or organisation.
The next step would be to look at the reclassification recommendations the panels have made and see if you agree. Do the recommendation reports reflect the recreation and conservation values present? Would the classifications provide adequate protection? If not, which forms of classification would be preferable?
Here’s a document explaining the different classifications, which will be helpful when trying to decide what classification would be appropriate: www.doc.govt.nz/about-us/our-role/managing-conservation/categories-of-conservation-land.
Further details about classifications can be found under Part 4 of the Conservation Act and Part 3 of the Reserves Act.
It’s worth noting that schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act essentially prohibits mining activities on public conservation land that meets the following criteria:
- Any national park (within the meaning of section 2 of the National Parks Act 1980)
- Any reserve classified as a nature reserve under section 20 of the Reserves Act 1977
- Any reserve classified as a scientific reserve under section 21 of the Reserves Act 1977
- Any part of a reserve set apart as a wilderness area under section 47(1) of the Reserves Act 1977
- Any conservation area declared under section 18AA or 18(1) of the Conservation Act 1987 as —
(a) a wilderness area; or
(b) a sanctuary area.
Try to provide as much evidence as possible to support your suggested classification, and include your personal view on what the land means to you and why it needs a high level of protection.
Finally, when making a submission, you will need to state if you would like to be heard at the hearings, which will likely be held later this year.
FMC’s submission
The FMC executive is currently working hard on FMC’s submission on the West Coast stewardship reclassification work. We aim to finalise it ahead of the deadline, so our members and others can read and use our submission if required.
FMC’s submission will be published on our website and shared on Facebook when it is finalised.
Photo at top: Fox River, Inland Pack Track, Paparoa National Park. (c) Neil Silverwood
