Govt considers issuing grazing rights

The Government may look at opening some conservation land to livestock grazing as a way for the Department of Conservation to generate income.

Agriculture Minister David Carter told about 300 farmers in Central Otago last week that finding ways to generate income from a conservation estate that grew in size under the previous government was a looming issue, and allowing strictly controlled grazing to licensed farmers could be a solution.

"That, to me, makes perfect sense," he said at the Federated Farmers high country committee two-yearly field day in the Nevis Valley last Wednesday.

Don Clarke, of Carrick Station, told the field day that he had found grazing of the upright-growing invasive weed, Hieracium lepidulum, could control its spread.

Mr Carter repeated his support for the greater use of conservation covenants administered through organisations such as the QEII Trust, saying it was "a sensible" way to achieve biodiversity protection and allow economic use of land.

The Cabinet will soon consider a report which links rents to the income-earning capacity of Crown pastoral lease properties.

Mr Carter said the independently peer-reviewed report would now enter the legislative process.

He did not see any reason for that process to be delayed.

The new rent-setting methodology was consistent with Government policy of linking rents to the income-earning capacity of a pastoral lease.

Should the Cabinet give its approval, the next stage was to formulate legislation and then law.

The previous government changed the way rents were set to include a charge for amenity values, a policy Jonathan Wallis, of Minaret Station, near Wanaka, appealed to the Otago Land Valuation Tribunal and won.

That has since been appealed by the Government to get clarity.

Land Information New Zealand (Linz) chief executive Colin McDonald said that should the new rent policy become law, it would be used to settle back-rents owed by lessees, many of whom have appealed the new rents to the Land Valuation Tribunal.

Previously, rents were set at 2.25% of the value of the land exclusive of improvements, and the impact of changes proposed by the previous government were highlighted by farmers in the Nevis Valley last week.

Mr Clarke, whose propert is at the northern end of the valley, said the rent on his 9600ha property would have increased from $9000 to $65,000, while Brian Hore, of Nokomai Station, at the southern end, said he would only enter tenure review because of higher rent.

Mr Hore said virtually all his 38,000ha could be grazed and he feared tenure review would have meant the loss of land and the subsequent loss of balance between summer and winter grazing country.

Mr Carter said one of his goals as minister was to improve the relationship between pastoral lessees and the Government, saying the way the previous government had treated those in the high country was a disgrace.

Each month, a committee of Linz Minister Maurice Williamson, Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson, Mr Carter and their officials meet to address high country issues, a format he said was working well and was addressing a process that had got out of balance.

"Labour was focused too much on getting land into conservation without giving a thought of who was going to pay for it or how we would pay to manage it."

High Country Accord chairman Jonathan Wallis said that while lessees were relieved the Government was addressing their concerns, voters sympathetic to conservation outnumbered farmers, and politicians might need to court their political support.

Mr Carter agreed that was a challenge, but he believed most people had conservation sympathies but were rational and realised the need to balance economic necessity and conservation.

A Government proposal to allow mining of conservation land was an example.

There was the expected outrage from organisations such as the Green Party, but once details had been explained, most New Zealanders accepted it was a resource that should be looked at, he said.

The minister also spoke about water management, saying New Zealand had an abundance of water but it was not always available at the right time or in the right place.

A review was nearly completed on where irrigation could be increased.