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A farmer herds sheep at Dunstan Downs station.
A 2,800ha swath of land in the South Crown of Canterbury could be privatized as a rural high station undergoes a tenure review.
The remaining 9,500ha section of the 12,350ha Dunstan Downs station would be turned into conservation land through a proposal published by Land Information New Zealand (Linz) on Monday. The proposal is now available for public presentation.
A farmer from the land says he is not sure the operation can survive with the new proposal.
The station spans Canterbury and Otago and includes sections of the Lindis Pass and St Bathans Range, down to the Ahuriri River near Omarama. He has 3000 sheep.
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Dunstan Downs station co-owner Charles Innes says it is a beautiful land, but that “the farmers are some of the best conservationists.”
The tenure review is a voluntary process for Crown pastoral lease holders. It allows tenants to own part of the land, while the Crown converts the rest to conservation areas.
The government announced in 2018 that it would end the system after fearing that some of New Zealand’s most valuable crown lands would be privatized. However, the Innes family, who own the Dunstan Downs lease, were well in the process prior to this announcement.
The proposal would privatize 2815ha of the northern part of the land, near Omarama. Much of the area was “extensively modified for agricultural use,” according to the proposal.
However, 895ha of this will be privatized with an agreement for its “natural values”.
The land, most of it in the Lindis Pass, contains a “high degree of naturalness” and features open spaces and native vegetation.
The rules would restrict new structures, burning and tree planting.
The new conservation land includes the western faces of the Wether and St Bathans Ranges, the ridge and eastern faces of the Dunstan Range, and the upper Dunstan Creek watershed. The spectacular landscape is covered with short-tufted grasslands and features threatened native plant species.
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A map of Dunstan Downs station, which is subject to tenure review.
Sheep grazing will be allowed in two areas in the southern part of the land, which are 850ha and 2330ha, for another 15 and 10 years respectively, with restrictions on the number of sheep.
The proposal said the landscape would be better managed by removing sheep to allow plants to grow. However, the allocation was made to give the tenants time to restructure the farming operation.
The public’s response will form the basis of a new proposal, which must be accepted by the station owners.
The station’s co-owner, Charles Innes, said he was “frustrated” by the process, which the family had been through for more than 20 years.
The most recent offering started about five years ago.
They entered it because of increased rental rents and restrictions on what farmers could do on the leased land, he said.
The farm may not be viable without the ability to herd sheep on Crown lands in the future, he said.
Sheep moved there from the northern part of the land in summer to graze.
He was “not happy with” the proposal, but thought it might be all they could get. Whether they accepted it depended on how it changed after the introductions.
The station had been rented by his family since 1919.
“It’s a really beautiful land, but I think the farmers are some of the best conservationists.”
Crown Lands Commissioner Craig Harris said under the proposal part of the “impressive St Bathans Range, will contribute to nearby conservation areas and reserves.”
He encouraged anyone with comments on the future of the earth to submit. Presentations close on November 24.
Another 27 properties are going through the tenure review process.
