Move casts doubt on park plans

The future of the proposed Hawea Conservation Park appears in disarray after the owners of Hunter Valley Station yesterday withdrew from the consultation process, saying they had no faith in the Department of Conservation (Doc).

Their decision means access to the park, if given the go-ahead by Conservation Minister Steve Chadwick, would basically be cut by half.

Hunter Valley Station counsel Ray Macleod, manager of property consulting company Landward Group, said issues of park access through the station had not been resolved, despite requests by the station's pastoral lessees, Taff and Pene Cochrane, to resolve them.

Addressing a hearing in Dunedin on the proposed 105,000ha park on the shores of Lake Hawea, Mr Macleod said he believed the Department of Conservation's consultation process on its proposal document was to name and gazette the park rather than consider public concerns.

"The many submissions clearly support the view that the document is misleading and it provides unreasonable expect-ations to the public about how the park will function."

Speaking after the hearing, Mr Macleod said while the Cochranes supported the park, Doc had promoted the idea before settling outstanding issues, effectively overselling the proposal to the public which had put pressure on the Cochranes.

"Doc has gone out publicly with a document that is inaccurate to the extent that they don't understand the implications of access.

"They've made assumptions about what Land Information New Zealand [Linz, the Cochranes' landlord] could do and what the Queenstown Lakes District Council will do."

The road from State Highway 6 to Neck Creek in the Hunter Valley crosses land with a variety of designations, including pastoral lease, Crown-owned and easements.

From Neck Creek to Kidds Bush it crosses pastoral lease.

Pastoral lessees have trespass rights allowing them to restrict access.

Mr Macleod said public expectations had been heightened by the park proposal, with some people assuming road access would be provided 30km up the valley, something neither the Cochranes nor QLDC had agreed to.

The lessees' stance would not affect public access to the popular camping spot of Kidds Bush, which was on pastoral lease land.

Doc's community relations manager, Marian van der Goes, said after the hearing that Hunter Valley Station's stance and the implications for the proposed park would be considered along with other submissions.

"The issue is about access up the Hunter River. As was stated in the document, it is an issue for Linz to resolve."

Hunter Valley Station had earlier surrendered 16,000ha from its lease, which was to be included in the park, but Ms van der Goes said access was still available up the eastern side of Lake Hawea and from the Ahuriri Conservation Park.

Earlier, submissions from the Otago Aero Club and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association questioned plans in the proposal to exclude aircraft from theDingleburn, saying for many people flying was the only way to get to isolated areas.

Fish and Game Otago and the Forest and Bird Protection Society spoke in favour of the park, saying it would protect conservation values and back country fisheries.

Doc staff and the Otago Conservation Board would consider the submissions and make a recommendation on the proposal to the Minister of Conservation.