The high country of the South Island is a special place. As a teenager I kayaked on Lake Heron, and can still recall the silence. Many NZers feel a similarly strong emotional pull from those great mountain valleys and basins reports The NZ Herald. It is also important to our economy. All of us need to sit up and take notice of what's happening there. Many hectares of the high country are owned by the Government, but leased to run holders - the high country sheep stations that carry merinos. Over recent years, many of these leases have been terminated in the process called "tenure review". When a farm is reviewed, some of the land stays owned by the Government and some goes to the farmer.My investigation into the environmental effects of the high country tenure review has led to an independent report to Parliament. In it I raise a number of concerns and issues that require action. These actions are in the form of recommendations to ministers and agencies, and address both the process and the wider environmental issues. I discuss several of these recommendations below. I am particularly worried about water quality - it's an issue that's been falling through the cracks. The usual result of a review is that the lower land goes to the farmer and the higher land goes to the Department of Conservation. If the lower land is fertilised and running stock right beside a lake or river, that starts off the process of water pollution with increased concentrations of phosphate, nitrate and pathogens. The clarity of the high country lakes cannot be taken for granted. We only need to look at the huge investment by central and local government in the restoration of some North Island lakes to confirm that we don't want Tekapo to end up like Rotorua.Prevention is cheaper than cure. That's why I make a recommendation for the introduction of rules to control discharges to these special high country lakes. I'm also worried about the spread of weeds such as broom and pine. On a recent visit I was shocked to see the out-of-control spread of wild pines. They looked to me like an ugly, unshaven chin. Not the image we promote to tourists and trading partners.
We welcome your comments below. If you are not already registered, please register to comment.
Remember we welcome robust, respectful and insightful debate. We don't welcome abusive or defamatory comments and will de-register those repeatedly making such comments. Our current comment policy is here.