The proposed Oteake Conservation Park comprised seven high country stations so far, with more likely to be included as a result of ongoing wholeproperty purchase and tenure review in the district.
Doc Central Otago area manager Mike Tubbs said the park was an exciting initiative which would provide small Central Otago towns with an economic boost, as well as diversifying the recreational and tourist activities available to visitors and residents.
‘‘The [Otago Central] Rail Trail has been great, and this will just add further opportunities for recreational activities, such as 4WD tours, motorbike tracks, walking, horse trekking, cross-country skiing, and hunting,'' he said.
He said towns close to park areas such as St Bathans would experience more visitors, which generally resulted in positive changes.
The park was proposed about a decade ago as one of eight parks planned for Otago to accompany the two already established in the region.
In the past 10 years, Oteake's boundaries have been marked by the successful Crown purchase and Doc management of many privately-owned sheep stations, which adjoined existing public conservation land within Central Otago and some parts of Waitaki.
In 1998, the Crown owned 14,000ha of high country land within Central Otago, which was included in the park proposal.
Mr Tubbs said about 17,000ha had been added to the conservation land through five tenure reviews and 14,000ha added by the whole property purchases of Michael Peak and Twinburn stations since then.
He said at least two other Central Otago high country stations were under tenure review at the moment, and were a possibility for inclusion within the proposed park.
‘‘We are looking at having the conservation land operating as a park in the next couple of years if not sooner,'' he said.
Mr Tubbs said much of the high country included in the park would be managed by Doc staff in a similar way to how farmers and individual rural land owners ran their stations in the past.
‘‘We have adequate resources for this added responsibility, and we are fully aware of what is required to manage the land. In some instances, it may even be better managed through us than in pastoral circumstances,'' he said.
The bulk of Oteake comprised land above 700m, with a small portion extending down to 500m, which was covered in tussock grasslands on greywacke and schist.
Mr Tubbs said the natural elements of the park would be protected, and any tourist or recreational activities would be managed to ensure the landscape remained undamaged.
The conservation land would be available for lease to individual tourist operators, he said.
‘‘I don't know if a skifield on Oteake is viable as such, but rather the land will be open for use and companies could gain licences from the Crown, the money from which could go back into the management of the park.''
Mr Tubbs said no additional staff would be employed for the park, and its management would be incorporated into existing programmes.
‘‘I am confident we have the resources to properly manage the land. Our funding and resources are reviewed annually by the Crown and at the end of the day we deal with whatever changes come and whatever resources are available.''
