Balance sought on high-country use, conservation

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The Government is trying to find a better balance between high-country farming economic necessities and conservation values, Agriculture Minister David Carter said.

He attended a biennial Federated Farmers high-country field day last week through the Nevis Valley, and used the trip to express support for high-country farmers.

The Government was making "exceptionally good" progress on various matters but he was aware further issues needed to be worked through, Mr Carter said.

He met Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson and Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson each month to discuss high-country issues and that multi-directional approach was working well, he told The Southland Times.

The goal was to find direction for Crown pastoral land policy that struck a balance between economic use and environmental values, Mr Carter said.

It was hoped legislation would be introduced to Parliament soon.

The trio were working on ways to help high-country farmers generate more income while developing better relationships with lessees and high-country communities.

The Government had already signalled its intention to link rents to the income-earning capacity of Crown pastoral lease properties, moving away from the amenity value-based system introduced by the Labour government, he said.

A better balance needed to be achieved to ensure productive pastoral land remained in agriculture use while tracts of land of significant environmental importance was protected, Mr Carter said.

Labour had tried to move more pastoral land into Department of Conservation control but he said he was not interested in giving DOC more high-country land than it could manage.

Land that could be sustainably farmed should remain as agriculture land, Mr Carter said.

He also hinted that changes may be made to speed up the tenure review process. Some changes had been made and he planned to look at other ways to streamline the process.

"We'll work to get the rental process issue resolved and then look at streamlining (tenure review)."

- © Fairfax NZ News

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