Former Conservation Minister Poto Williams looks on as DoC Western South Island director Mark Davies in October 2022 talks about the significance of a land acquisition for the department on the fringe of the Paparoa National Park. Photo: Greymouth Star / Brendon McMahon
Land swaps between the Department of Conservation (DOC) and West Coast private landowners are still on the cards.
Few have occurred of late, but new land acquisitions on the West Coast by DOC are expected to be announced early next year.
DOC Western South Island director Mark Davies said those further purchases followed the significant purchase in 2022 at Punakaiki, at the entrance to the Paparoa National Park.
In that case the Nature Heritage Fund bought 55ha of land owned for generations by the Moat family on the lower reaches of the Punakaiki River for the department.
Davies said the provisions remain in the Conservation Act for undertaking land swaps between the department and private landowners but it had stalled in recent years.
"Historically we have done a lot of this on the West Coast, taking opportunities where there was land of lesser conservation value for net benefit of exchanging land with higher benefit to conservation," he told the West Coast Conservation Board's 30 November meeting.
The practice of land swaps had become more difficult due to the Supreme Court ruling of 2017 that conservation land could not be used, via a proposed land swap of part of the Ruahine Forest Park, for the Ruataniwha Dam in Hawke's Bay.
Forest and Bird challenged the deal between the department and Hawke's Bay Regional Council to exchange DOC land for a $900 million water storage and irrigation project.
Under the scheme 22ha of land administered by the department was to have been exchanged for 170ha of nearby farm land.
Davies said that court decision had "narrowed the definition" of what was eligible for exchange and since, the department had not been able to execute any land exchanges for the West Coast.
"What we have done has moved and done some purchases."
The most significant to date was the purchase of 55ha at Punakaiki at the entrance to the Paparoa National Park, last year.
"We've got another couple we'll be announcing in the early New Year," he said.
Board deputy chair Katie Milne asked if the conservation stewardship land review process would affect disposal of land currently administered by the department.
Davies described that as a "nuanced" conservation which would be contingent on the formal review process being concluded.
Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.