The draft management plan for the 328ha property, by consultants Forest Environment Ltd, which will soon go out for public consultation, was formed after extensive community participation in recent months.
This built on earlier work done through the Harbour Cone steering committee, which was established after the Dunedin City Council's $2.6 million purchase of the property in 2008.
Since then, farming has continued on the property, with public walking access allowed outside lambing season.
The plan proposes most of the property would remain in public ownership and continue to be a working farm.
The area containing the farm's woolshed and the nearby Rogers farmhouse has been suggested as the best area for a "visitor hub" and environmental educational centre.
At this stage it is not known if the farmhouse, which has a tenant, would be suitable for redeveloping, but the report favours the use of an existing building rather than a new one for this purpose.
Providing a specialist environmental education centre would fill a gap for this in Dunedin, the report says.
Its role could include demonstration of multifunctional land use, small-scale renewable energy technology and social enterprise.
It could also be a base for outdoor education and recreation skills programmes. Public toilets could be provided near the woolshed if that were considered necessary, the draft suggests.
It indicates this would need to be considered if overnight vehicle parking were to be allowed. The report does not favour, however, the provision of rubbish bins or other litter control.
Existing parking for those visiting the property is on the shoulders of roads, but the report suggests more parking may be required, either by increasing the shoulder areas or in conjunction with any visitor hub development The draft plan says the property was considered important by many peninsula residents and the wider Dunedin community.
Not only could visitors have a sense of solitude but also a "sense of exhilaration in being somewhere of significance".
While originally it was suggested three lots of land could be sold to help recoup the cost of buying the land, this has now been reduced to two - one at the end of the formed section of Camp Rd and the other at the southern edge of the property off Sandymount Rd.
These sites, if sold, would have strict controls placed on them to ensure they were as unobtrusive as possible.
A controversial proposal for a cluster of housing in Broad Bay's Bacon St has been dropped. The plan sets out values for the property which all activities would have to align with.
These cover the property's historical and cultural significance, the outstanding landscape, significant conservation areas, recreational opportunities and the potential for community learning and sustainable land management.
The area is divided into five zones to help with management (see fact box), but these are not to be managed in isolation from each other.
"This property provides an important setting for heightening people's enjoyment, awareness and understanding of environmental, conservation, sustainability and heritage issues.
"Community members should be encouraged to explore initiatives that will assist with the enhancement of the property's values, and that deliver benefit to local communities."
The plan also proposes best-practice sustainable farming management be used on the property, and that greenhouse-gas emissions be monitored and, where possible, mitigated.
Small-scale community initiatives, either commercial or purely for the community good, that were compatible with the main sheep-farming operation could increase community use and stewardship of the property. Beekeeping and an community orchard were examples given in the report.
Proposals for cottage industries would be considered, but applications must demonstrate a knowledge of the property's values, the potential effects any activity and how these would be avoided, remedied or mitigated.
New forest woodlot areas would have to involve species suited to the local growing conditions and produce products "of high value to local markets".
There was potential for some woodlot stands to be managed as a renewable community firewood supply.
Establishment of new wood lots, whether they were indigenous or exotic species, could also create the opportunity to sell carbon credits.
The design and layout of wood lots would promote the protection, restoration and conservation of waterways and erosion-prone slopes.
Tracks on the property will be identified by pole markers. Horse riding and mountain biking will be limited to suitable tracks and motorised vehicles will not be allowed, the report says.
Some seating may be provided, but barbecue areas and picnic tables are not considered appropriate.
The report notes there has been no formal assessment of the property regarding significant Maori sites, which Te Runaka o Otakou says "needs to be addressed".
This would involve the runaka identifying what cultural activities it would like provided. Possibilities include the establishment of traditional medicinal plants and various harakeke species used for weaving.
The plan calls for an intensive archaeological assessment of the whole property, which contains 42 known historical sites and structures.
It sees the need to prevent further deterioration of these sites and manage public access to ensure this.
Protection of existing indigenous vegetation and its regeneration are proposed in the plan along with the management of rare or threatened species, including the South Island rifleman and the freshwater invertebrate koura.
Using the bluff weka as an example, the plan highlights the complex considerations necessary when reintroducing a species. It noted the weka could kill penguin chicks and those of other birds as well as lizards.
The weka, in turn, would also be vulnerable to predation by dogs, cats, ferrets and stoats. They would also be vulnerable to pest control such as poison baits.
How the property will be classified and governed is yet to be determined, and the Harbour Cone steering committee, which is made up of both council and community representatives, is investigating the options for this.
Options
Future community participation could include: Pest eradication, species recovery programmes and restoring stone walling.
• Building, track maintenance, mowing, pest control, litter control.
• Cottage industries and community food production such as orchards and beekeeping.
• Research on property issues and values.
• Developing and delivering education programmes.
• Event management.
• Developing and delivering recreation activities.
Source: Harbour Cone draft management plan
The areas
Suggested Harbour Cone/Hereweka management areas:
Bacon St
Includes lowest part of Smiths Creek and adjacent gullies and hill slopes to the west.
Possible uses: Ideal for community orchards or ecological restoration to restore podocarp-dominant forest and indigenous riparian vegetation. Could also test the best way to foster kanuka regeneration.
Smiths Creek
The catchment of Smiths Creek below Highcliff Rd. Mostly dry hill slopes with intervening gullies.
Possible uses: Planting to protect the waterways and prevent erosion. Also suited to horse riding and mountain biking. The area where the woolshed is located is a potential site for a visitor hub and education centre.
Hereweka/Harbour Cone
Contains the summit and flanks of Harbour Cone and ridges and gully heads to the east and includes two significant patches of indigenous broadleaf forest and the most extensive areas of kanuka forest on the property.
Possible uses: Further track development, protection of the broadleaf forest and restoration planting.
Peggys Hill
This takes in steep eastern slopes, terraces and the relatively flat summit of Peggys Hill. It includes several springs. The largest area of indigenous forest and some grassland at its edge has been fenced off and restoration begun.
Possible uses: More tracks; testing alternative restoration techniques such as direct seeding in gorse areas.
Stewarts Creek
The catchment of Stewarts Creek below Highcliff Rd. Mostly pasture but also includes significant stands of moist and dry indigenous broadleaf forest, scattered smaller stands of indigenous forest and shrub land. It also contains archaeological sites such as the ruins of the Stewart family house and Rutherford's farmstead and stone features.
Possible uses: Continued ecological restoration. The relatively flat valley floor makes it a suitable site for native tree wood lots that could provide timber products, protect waterways and enhance biodiversity.
