| Fish
& Game New Zealand is delighted with the public access conditions
attached to the sale of Poronui Station to Westervelt Sporting Lodges
Ltd., approved by the Government today.
Poronui Station has been the centre of public
access controversy for many years, the history of which was a significant
factor in the inclusion of the habitat conservation and public access
provisions in the new Overseas Investment Act 2005.
“The new Act requires potential owners
to demonstrate that their ownership will benefit New Zealand, and
specifically addresses the protection of habitat and improvement
of public access to public natural resources such as trout fisheries
and game birds on, or adjacent to, the land being sold,” said
Bryce Johnson, Chief Executive, Fish & Game New Zealand.
“The new owners are to be complemented
for embracing the spirit of the new legislation and negotiated openly
with Fish & Game New Zealand. Through goodwill and a commitment
to a positive outcome from all parties, including the Crown, we
now have free and practical public access to renowned trout fishing
in the Taharua and Mohaka Rivers.”
“The new conditions for public access to
and through Poronui Station are a significant improvement on the
status quo, and demonstrate that well drafted legislation can require
outcomes that both improve public access and provide for landowner
aspirations,” said Steve Smith, Manager of the Hawkes Bay
Fish & Game Region which includes the Mohaka Catchment. “We
look forward to a joint management approach on these fisheries for
the mutual benefit of the new overseas owners and Kiwi anglers alike.”
Bryce Johnson noted, “This decision creates
a great precedent for the implementation of the new Act. However,
the new irony is that Kiwi anglers and hunters are now better served
when sensitive land with special values is sold to overseas buyers
than when it is sold to New Zealanders where there is currently
no obligation to consider habitat protection or public access issues.” |
