Former Conservation Minister Poto Williams and DoC Western South Island director Mark Davies have discussed a significant land purchase near Paparoa National Park. The Department of Conservation (DOC) and private landowners on the West Coast are still considering land swaps. Although there have been few lately, the DOC is expected to announce new land purchases early next year.
One of these purchases was a significant one in 2022 at Punakaiki, at the entrance to the Paparoa National Park. The Nature Heritage Fund bought 55ha of land from the Moat family for the department. Davies explained that the Conservation Act allows for land swaps between the department and private landowners, but this has slowed down in recent years.
In the past, the DOC has swapped land of lesser conservation value for land with higher conservation benefit. However, a 2017 Supreme Court ruling made land swaps more difficult. The ruling stated that conservation land could not be used for a proposed land swap for the Ruataniwha Dam in Hawke’s Bay.
Since this ruling, the DOC has not been able to carry out any land exchanges on the West Coast. Instead, they have made some purchases, the most significant being the 55ha at Punakaiki. Davies said that more purchases will be announced in the early new year.
Board deputy chair Katie Milne asked if the conservation stewardship land review process would affect the disposal of land currently managed by the department. Davies said this would depend on the outcome of the formal review process.
