Spectacular new park largest created in decades

Snow-capped mountains, crystal clear lakes and a popular skifield are included in the largest public park created in more than twenty years

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Snow-capped mountains, crystal clear lakes and a popular skifield are included within the boundary of the largest public park created in more than twenty years, Conservation Minister Chris Carter announced today.

The new Hakatere Conservation Park is more than 68,000ha in the beautiful Ashburton Lakes area. It not only brings together 19 separate areas of conservation land but just-concluded negotiations mean historic Hakatere Station, on the shores of Lake Clearwater, will now be added.

"This huge new park is a special place, a landscape of clear streams and red tussock, of braided rivers, wetlands and alpine habitat where a host of rare native species can be found," Mr Carter said.

"The park's creation demonstrates not only the commitment of the Labour-led government to securing some of New Zealand's most precious landscapes for all New Zealanders to enjoy but also the hard work by Land Information New Zealand and the Department of Conservation over some years."

The Green Party chose Ashburton Lakes and the upper Rangitata River as one of three sites to receive funding for restoration of wetlands.

Mr Carter said: "Hakatere Conservation Park offers a truly New Zealand experience with almost endless recreational opportunities including water skiing, sailing, trout fishing and tramping. It is also significant that so much lakeshore will now be preserved for the public for all time."

Mt Hutt skifield is within the park's boundary and the upper reaches of the Ashburton Lakes basin are a gateway for big game hunters, ski tour operators and mountain climbers.

"I particularly want to congratulate the owners of Hakatere Station for their foresight in recognising the conservation values of their land and choosing to sell it into public ownership," Mr Carter said.

The public will have access to pastoral lease areas of Hakatere Station when settlement takes place in November 2007 but the freehold will remain in private ownership until July 2008. The Nature Heritage Fund paid $7.2 million to buy Hakatere Station.



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Background to Hakatere Conservation Park
Hakatere Conservation Park is more than 68,000ha hectares including:

10,000 hectares of the former Clent Hills pastoral lease that was purchased by the Nature Heritage Fund,
the historic Hakatere Station also purchased by the Nature Heritage Fund,
two areas transferred to the department through the Land Tenure Review process,
several areas surrendered from pastoral leases and declared to be conservation areas and various other parcels that were allocated to the department in 1987.

Landscape
The general area of the park is bounded by the Rangitata and Rakaia rivers. The upper Rangitata featured in the Lord of the Rings films.

The Canterbury Conservation Management Strategy says:
'The overall character is one of space, remoteness and grandeur in an alpine setting of snow and ice, glacier and lakes, interspersed with remnants of upland forest, tussock grassland and several major wetlands.'


The Heron basin, Ashburton lakes, upper Rangitata and Hakatere Basin are all recognised as outstanding landscapes.


Natural values
Wetlands in the park contain some of the best examples of red tussock (Chionochloa rubra) and Carex secta/pükio wetlands in Canterbury.

The park's kettlehole (water-filled holes created by receding glaciers) wetlands are very likely the best under protection in the country. Threatened turf-forming plants include pygmy clubrush (Isolepis basilaris) and dwarf woodrush (Luzula celata), both classified as in serious decline, and water brome (Amphibromus fluitans), a semi-aquatic grass presumed extinct in the South Island until last year.

The riverbed of the Rangitata River is home to wrybill/ngutu parore, black-fronted tern/tarapirohe, banded dotterel/turiwhatu, Caspian tern/tarä nui, and black-billed gull. The wetlands and lakes are a stronghold for the threatened Australasian crested grebe/kämana, and scaup/papango. Other notable fauna includes the Mount Somers giant wÄ“tā Deinacrida, a spectacular and distinct wÄ“tā and the Mt Potts scree skink.

The park includes over 4000 hectares of mountain beech forest and native birds include bellbird/makomako, tomtit/miromiro, rifleman/tļtitipounamu, wood pigeon/kererū and grey warbler/riroriro, while kea and pipits/pīhoihoi frequent the open country above the bushline.


Recreation
The new park offers boating, swimming, tramping, climbing, skiing, hunting, mountain biking, picnicking, camping, horse riding, and fishing.

The new Woolshed Creek Hut is on the popular Mt Somers Walkway. Mt Harper is also a popular climb. Skiing is centred on Mt Hutt Skifield within the park boundary while the Arrowsmith range is popular for ski-touring.

Impressive volcanic formations, tussock grasslands, and a deep river canyon are features of the original 17km-long tramp linking the popular picnic stops of Woolshed Creek and Sharplin Falls in South Canterbury.

Mt Somers is the ideal place for an introduction to New Zealand's sub-alpine environment without venturing too far from civilisation. It's perfect for beginners and families. The new route across the south face of Mt Somers offers a 'round-the-mountain' trip for more experienced trampers, thanks to the hard work of the Mt Somers Walkway Society.


Cultural and historic values
The park was part of the seasonal trail of mahinga kai and resource gathering. Knowledge of these trails continues to be held by whānau and hapÅ« and is regarded as taonga. Mahinga kai resources taken from the area include: tuna/eels, weka, käkä, kererÅ«, tÅ«i, pÅ«keko, aruhe / fern root, kiore, kōkopu, tikumu and ti köuka/ cabbage tree.

A Statutory Acknowledgement and Deed of Recognition has been placed over the area through the Ngāi Tahu Settlement Act 1998, to formally acknowledge the association and values that Ō Tū Wharekai (Ashburton Lakes) holds for Ngāi Tahu.
The Māori names for Mt Hutt - Opuku and Te Tai Ta - reflect its character. Te Tai Ta means feathery cloak, its appearance when bathed in cloud. Opuku means "cover over".

Since European occupation more than 125 years ago, the Mount Somers region has been the site of a variety of enterprises. One of these was coal extraction and evidence of historic coal mines remains. Historic features in the area include the Mt Harper Ice Rink (1931-32), possibly the first purpose-built public skating rink in the Southern Hemisphere.

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Opening of Hakatere Conservation Park

Spectacular conservation park largest created in decades


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Speech notes for opening of Hakatere Conservation Park, Canterbury



Who can imagine wanting to be anywhere else today than here on the shores of Lake Heron, in this fabulously beautiful landscape, celebrating the opening of Hakatere Conservation Park.

The third high country park in as many years - you have all been very busy in Canterbury!

First of all I'd like to acknowledge the many groups, individuals and iwi who are here today to celebrate this magnificent new park, including our host Phillip Waring of Arrowsmith Station and station managers Eric and Sally Smith, who sheared through rain, sleet and snow in the past few weeks to make sure the decks were cleared in time for this event.

It's appropriate that you, Phillip, should host us today as a key piece of this new park was of course the Clent Hills NHF purchase beside Lake Heron that yourselves, along with Phillip Todhunter of Upper Lake Heron and Paul & Kerry Harmer from Castle Ridge Station, jointly contributed to. Your recognition of the conservation values of the area has led to nationally significant habitat achieving protection.

I'd also like to welcome members of Ngai Tahu, neighbouring landholders, Forest and Bird, representatives of the Nature Heritage Fund, the Mt Somers Walkway Society, the Canterbury Aoraki Conservation Board, Ashburton District Council and representatives of Land Information New Zealand.

Although my colleague and Minister for LINZ David Parker couldn't be here today, I know he would have loved to be, he is a great outdoors enthusiast.

Metiria Turei of the Green Party would have liked to be here today, funding through a Budget bid by the party this year has ensured wetland areas in Hakatere will be preserved and protected.

This area is the only place that protects an extensive complex of kettlehole wetlands with their associated turf plant communities. With names like pygmy club rush, I understand that strong, well-padded knees and a magnifying glass are the best ways to truly appreciate these special threatened plants. As well as remarkable wetland areas, Hakatere Conservation Park provides protection and public access to more than 68,000 hectares of land. We already know this area is well-loved and visited by locals, who come here for tramping and picnicking. The lakes provide water-skiing, windsurfing, sailing and fishing and I know the small communities that cluster on the lake edges have shared some special family times here. The basin is a gateway for sports such as big game hunting, ski-touring and mountaineering.

As a park we expect Hakatere to attract plenty of visitors from further afield. This is what we have seen following the opening of Ahuriri and Ruataniwha parks in Mackenzie Basin. The first summer after Ahuriri opened, a survey conducted by Otago University showed a big increase in the amount of people visiting the area, 60% of them first-time visitors.

For me, the most important point from these kinds of surveys is the high number of first time users (42%) and the 92% of visitors who said they would return.

The area we are in has significant value to Ngâi Tahu as it was part of the seasonal trail of mahinga kai. This was formally recognised in statute when a 'Deed of Recognition' was placed over the area through the Ngâi Tahu Settlement Act 1998.

Today, the value of the area to the local community is best illustrated by the commitment of various volunteer groups who are actively making a difference to conservation in the region. These include landcare groups made up of local landowners working co-operatively with agencies on weed control in the rivers.

Local Forest and Bird has been enormously active here and I congratulate you on your ongoing efforts to make others realise just how special this place is - your nomination of the area for World Heritage status for example. I'd like to welcome those members who have joined us here today - Val and Colin Clemens, Bill & Janet Hood, Peter & Jan Howden, Larry Rattray; Marijke Bakker-Gesling and Fraser Ross.

I also want to congratulate the Mt Somers Walkway Society for the Mt Somers Track. David Howden, Warren and Marita Jowett and others have worked together to open up the sub-alpine region to a whole new generation.

Mr Cuddihy mentioned the huge part Nature Heritage Fund has played in securing land to form the heart of this new network of conservation parks. I am pleased to be able to announce today they have been successful again, in negotiating the purchase of Hakatere Station.

There's a little bit more paperwork, surveying and background work to be done before it can be formally gazetted, but once that is complete, it will be a significant addition to the new park we are celebrating today.

Without further ado, I declare Hakatere Conservation Park open.