CONFIRMED OTAGO CONSERVATION BOARD

MINUTES OF THE OTAGO CONSERVATION BOARD MEETING HELD ON 13 NOVEMBER 2009 IN THE ST BATHANS HALL, LOOP ROAD, ST BATHANS STARTING AT 10.30 AM

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PRESENT

H S Langsbury (Chairperson) R R Allan D K Holdsworth C Morris G H Nixon A Penniket I Scott A M Smith C F Tanner J E Williams

IN ATTENDANCE

M van der Goes Conservator, Otago Conservancy K Stewart Community Relations Manager, Otago Conservancy B Hunt Community Relations Officer (Planning) – first part of meeting only D Agnew Acting Area Manager, Central Otago Area – part of meeting only M Clark Community Relations Officer (Board Support)

Three members of the public and a member of the press were also present during parts of the meeting.

1 KARAKIA – WELCOME – APOLOGIES

Following a short poem about Central Otago read by G Nixon, H Langsbury welcomed everyone present, including newly-appointed board member D Holdsworth.

RESOLVED That apologies be received and sustained from:

Malcolm McPherson Mayor, Central Otago District Council M Slater (Conservator, West Coast Tai Poutini Conservancy) C Hickford (Community Relations Manager, West Coast Tai Poutini Conservancy)

Langsbury/Morris

2 CONFIRMATION OF AGENDA (SBC 8)

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P O Box 5244, Dunedin 9058 Phone: (03) 474 6936 Fax: (03) 477 8626 Email: [email protected] CONFIRMED 2

The agenda had been circulated.

H Langsbury noted that a telephone hearing of a submission on the Mount Aspiring National Park Draft Management Plan was going to be held separately from the board meeting at 1.00 pm in the Vulcan Hotel. This would involve G Nixon, C Tanner, K Stewart and B Hunt only.

M Clark pointed out that there were several additional papers associated with existing agenda items. He undertook to add the email circulation dates of agenda papers to future agendas so that board members who organized their papers electronically could find them more easily.

It was agreed that the agenda be confirmed as circulated, subject to the following additions:

- 11.2(c) Application for variation to Lake Alta water abstraction concession

3 CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES (SBC 9)

The public minutes of the board meeting held on 18 September 2009 had been circulated.

RESOLVED That the public minutes of the board meeting be confirmed as circulated. Smith/Allan

4 MATTERS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MINUTES

H Langsbury said that the board could discuss the circulation of information to members later under agenda item 10.5.

Referring to agenda item 10.3 Discussion of Items for Media Release, A Smith drew attention to the publication of three articles relating to the previous board meeting in the regional section of the Otago Daily Times.

5 CORRESPONDENCE

5.1 Confirmation of Outwards and Receipt of Inwards Correspondence

The correspondence register had been circulated with the meeting agenda.

RESOLVED That the inwards correspondence be received and the outwards correspondence be confirmed. Smith/Morris

6 STRATEGIC PLANNING

6.1 Otago CMS (SBC 81)

A map of public conservation land in the Central Otago Area and a summary of Central Otago issues raised by board members since 1998 had been circulated; and emails of 6 and 7 October from Jan Kelly of CORUF had been circulated by email.

G Nixon shared his thoughts on the importance of maximizing the potential of three significant linking routes in Central Otago. He suggested that better connections were needed to link the disparate sections of the Rail Trail more effectively (item 11 refers). The Clutha River/Mata-Au Parkway (item 8 refers) was an exciting proposal which had many potential benefits for public recreation. A public route across the Poolburn area was also desirable. He supported investigation of a tussock grasslands national park (item 14 refers) incorporating areas in the Old Man-Garvies- Remarkables. He noted that the Flat Top Hill and Aldinga Conservation Areas protected significant patches of indigenous vegetation at lower altitudes (item 16 refers). The use of covenants (item 21 refers) and the problems associated with them needed closer examination. Sometimes exotic brier bushes (item 22 refers) helped to protect native plants that were growing inside them.

CONFIRMED 3

H Langsbury suggested that G Nixon and other board members might support the creation of an Otago Uplands Special Place (e.g. land over 900 metres asl) in the next CMS.

Referring to item 16, D Holdsworth suggested that the Rail Trail had potential for the long-term protection of an altitudinal sequence of indigenous vegetation at lower altitudes.

C Tanner said that the concept of linking corridors was an important one that merited serious attention in the next CMS.

J Williams was assured that local Käi Tahu rünaka would be consulted at an early stage in connection with the review of the Otago CMS (item 42 refers).

RESOLVED That the board notes the circulated summary of 42 Central Otago issues and refers it to the department for consideration in connection with the review of the Otago CMS. Smith/Morris

I Scott agreed to represent the board at the CORUF Spring Forum on 18 November, since the recreational issues being discussed were relevant to the coming review.

6.2 Review of Mount Aspiring National Park Management Plan (SBC 83)

A draft ‘Overview of Submissions and the Department’s Views on Changes to the Draft Plan’, ‘Submission 9’, and several miscellaneous emails had been circulated for the board’s information.

B Hunt said that she was still working on departmental responses to each of the public submissions. She hoped to get the revised draft plan to the board before its February meeting. In the meantime, the document which had been circulated to board members was an interim paper that indicated the department’s preliminary thinking on some of the major issues raised in the submissions.

M van der Goes suggested that at this stage of the process, the paper was for the board’s information only, but board members could ask questions rather than comment formally on the draft statements in the interim paper.

B Hunt then summarized the draft statements in turn and clarified them as requested. Board members noted the following as points for attention when the revised draft plan was formally presented to the board:

– whether the plan should be more prescriptive for aircraft landings in the Remote Zone; – whether a case can be made for glacier landings somewhere on the Upper Volta; – whether the verb ‘should’ should be tighter (e.g. ‘will’) in places; – the desirability of depicting on one of the maps, jet boating opportunities near the park as well as within it, in order to show jet boat users that they had generally good access along the rivers which interested them; – the importance of good communication between private and commercial jet boat users on the Dart River; – whether a change in the Front Country Zone near the Routeburn Roadend to allow a road to be built can be justified from the submissions received; – whether the department intended the revised draft plan to state clearly that there would be no more development on the Routeburn Track.

Commenting on the second point above, B Hunt said that the department could not allow any aircraft landings in the Wilderness Zone, which included the Upper Volta.

M van der Goes pointed out that the department had deliberately used ‘should’ instead of ‘will’ in statements so that the plan did not unduly fetter the Minister of Conservation. On another point, the department recognized that the Routeburn Track was a ‘hot spot’ in the park which needed to be managed carefully. Board members should keep in mind that the paper in front of them was a ‘first cut’ of departmental responses to the public submissions. The revised draft plan would be formally presented to the board at its February meeting.

CONFIRMED 4

K Stewart added that DOC National Office also had to check the revised draft plan before it went to the board.

There was general agreement that the revised draft plan should be sent to board members at least two weeks before the next board meeting if possible.

6.3 Draft West Coast CMS (SBC 81)

A memorandum of 29 September 2009 from the NZCA had been circulated by email.

RESOLVED That the memorandum be received and noted. Langsbury/Smith

6.4 Draft Bay of Plenty CMS (SBC 81)

A letter of 23 September 2009 from the East Coast Bay of Plenty Conservancy/Conservation Board had been circulated by email.

C Tanner remarked that the waste of time and money associated with this aborted CMS process was appalling.

RESOLVED That the letter be received and noted. Tanner/Morris

6.5 Conservation Management Strategies (SBC 81)

Letters of 24 and 25 September 2009 from DOC National Office and the NZCA, respectively, had been circulated by email.

M van der Goes explained that the first generation of CMS documents differed greatly from each other because each conservancy/board had been left to produce its own document without having a template. The department and the NZCA saw the need for more consistency in the scope and format of these documents.

RESOLVED That the letters be received and noted. Williams/Scott

6.6 Review of Canterbury CMS (SBC 81)

An email of 14 October 2009 from Poma Palmer had been circulated by email via C Tanner.

Board members noted that work on the Draft Canterbury CMS had been put on hold.

7 ADVICE

7.1 Marine Protected Areas Implementation (SBC 39)

(a) MPA Implementation

M van der Goes said that the department was still waiting to receive the results of the gaps analysis work.

(b) Marine Protection Symposium

An email of 11 November 2009 from A Smith had been circulated.

There was general support for A Smith’s draft programme and other proposals.

CONFIRMED 5

A Smith asked for ideas on a catchy name for the symposium by the end of tomorrow’s field trip. It was suggested that she should advise Dunedin City Council planner Debbie Hogan and Liz Sherwood in the DOC Coastal Otago Area office of the proposed date, venue and theme of the symposium as soon as possible.

7.2 Oteake and Häwea Conservation Parks (SBC 72)

M van der Goes said it was hoped to have the opening of the Oteake Conservation Park in late January next year. Board members would be informed as soon as the arrangements had been finalized.

8 ADVOCACY

8.1 High Country Tenure Review (SBC 34)

(a) Involvement by DOC

M van der Goes said that there was a busy property inspection season ahead for departmental staff. The department was expecting to see more covenants in proposed tenure review deals, but it was still waiting for official policy guidelines on this. In response to a question from A Penniket, she said that she would ask whether board members could be given better advance warning of autumn property inspections.

(b) Ben Nevis and Craigroy

An email of 6 November 2009 from M Clark with attached draft board submissions on the above tenure review preliminary proposals had been circulated.

G Nixon had prepared the draft submissions and C Morris had supported them.

RESOLVED That the draft submissions be endorsed and sent to Darroch Limited. Morris/Smith

(c) Temple Peak

A letter of 2 November 2009 from Darroch Limited had been circulated.

G Nixon and I Scott undertook to prepare a draft board submission for circulation to all board members. The deadline for submissions was 18 January 2010.

8.2 Moeraki Sewage Discharge (SBC 91)

M van der Goes apologized for not following up on this issue before the board meeting. She intended to do so in the near future.

H Langsbury said that he had nothing further to report.

8.3 Project Hayes (Proposed Lammermoor Wind Farm) (SBC 94)

The Environment Court decision of 6 November 2009 cancelling the resource consents for Project Hayes and several emails from interested parties had been circulated.

Board members expressed their approval of the Environment Court’s decision.

G Nixon said that he was delighted with the outcome of the appeal process. He reminded board members of the role that former board member and board chairperson Fergus Sutherland had played in the hearing involving the board, and he suggested that the board should send him a letter acknowledging his contribution. He drew attention to the use in the written decision of the words ‘odd’ and ‘confusing’ to describe the 900 metre rule in the Central Otago District Plan. The appeal process had been a real ‘David vs Goliath’ contest between a few community representatives and a large, well-resourced company. It raised the question of who would advocate for the protection of nationally-significant landscapes at a national level if the Department of Conservation was constrained

CONFIRMED 6 in its ability to do so. Having said that, he acknowledged that the department had assisted the board by providing information where it could.

A Smith observed that landscape protection was an issue for district plans.

H Langsbury noted that the Environment Court had considered the proposal under the existing district plan and the proposed district plan changes.

J Williams said that, among other things, the decision made it clear that there were suitable places and unsuitable places for wind farms.

8.4 Options for Establishment of the New Zealand Game Animal Council (SBC 32)

A discussion paper produced by the Game Animal Council Establishment Committee and comments by D Holdsworth had been circulated by email.

D Holdsworth referred to his report of a meeting held in Dunedin on 19 October to get public feedback on the proposed establishment of a NZ Game Animal Council. Those who spoke at the meeting were very supportive of the provision of hunting opportunities by DOC. Recreational hunters tended to be distrustful of commercial hunters.

J Williams said that his concerns about a proposed Game Animal Council were similar to his concerns about the existing Fish and Game Councils. Hunters wanted game to hunt whatever effects that game was having on the environment. The current issue relating to the control of Canadian geese was a case in point.

D Holdsworth said that he did not gain the impression that hunters wanted more game animals to be available. However, board members needed to be aware that a lot of people regarded game animals as an asset rather than a problem.

R Allan believed that conservation boards should advocate the retention of DOC control over hunting on public conservation land and ensure that all hunting was compatible with conservation management strategies and national park management plans. He could see that funding will be a problem.

A Penniket drew attention to the degraded state of the vegetation in the Caples valley (Wakatipu Recreational Hunting Area), where wild animal control had been left to hunters.

I Scott noted that all game animals were considered to be pests by the department. She was of the view that the proposed Game Animal Council should have input with regard to the setting of upper limits for wild animal populations.

It was agreed that D Holdsworth should prepare a draft board submission for circulation to all board members during the coming week.

8.5 Proposal for Moratorium on Commercial Harvesting of Longfin Eels (SBC 30)

A board email of 12 October 2009 to Dr Mike Joy and Amber McEwan of Massey University had been circulated by email.

RESOLVED That the board email be endorsed. Langsbury/Williams

8.6 Proposal to Lift Speed Restrictions on the Hunter River (SBC 93)

The board submission of 16 October 2009 to the Queenstown Lakes District Council had been circulated by email.

RESOLVED That the board submission be endorsed. Smith/Tanner

8.7 Dunedin Biodiversity Forum (SBC 91)

CONFIRMED 7

A letter of 25 September 2009 from the Dunedin City Council had been circulated by email.

R Allan reported on his attendance at the Dunedin Biodiversity Forum on 21 October 2009, in which 40-50 people took part. The Dunedin City Council had made $60,000 a year available through its Dunedin Biodiversity Fund for the protection of biodiversity on private land. In addition, the council’s Living Assets Management Fund had been increased to $250,000 this year to complete deferred conservation management work in public reserves. A map showing the overall picture of biodiversity within the city boundaries was available. The council’s aim was to establish a forum that would function independently.

M van der Goes added that the council had obtained funding for a person to promote biodiversity protection. Generally speaking, the policies in the Dunedin City District Plan were aligned more closely with conservation objectives than policies in the plans of other territorial local authorities in Otago.

In relation to this topic, J Williams said that Councillor Fliss Butcher had shown interest in the DOC brochure about providing berries for birds throughout the year. Establishing feeding ‘stepping stones’ around Dunedin was a worthwhile conservation objective.

It was agreed that from now on, D Holdsworth should replace R Allan as the board’s representative on the Dunedin Biodiversity Forum.

D Agnew, who usually worked in the Coastal Otago Area and who had information on similar forums in Southland and the Waikato, offered to help D Holdsworth in this role.

8.8 Proposed Plan Changes 5A-5W to Central Otago District Plan (SBC 94)

Board and DOC submissions of 2 October 2009 had been circulated by email, and various other further submissions had been sent to G Nixon only.

G Nixon said that he was concerned about the ‘toothless’ or ‘Claytons’ landscape categories in the Proposed Plan Changes. The brief board submission was intended to emphasize the importance of retaining landscape protection for land over 900 metres.

RESOLVED That the board submission be endorsed. Smith/Williams

8.9 Application to amend Kawarau Water Conservation Order (SBC 37)

H Langsbury said that there had been no developments since the previous board meeting.

8.10 Mount Watkin/Hikaroroa Scenic Reserve Management Plan (SBC 80)

R Allan said that no further progress had been made since the previous board meeting.

8.11 SILNA Forests – Review of 2002 Policy and Implementation Package (SBC 35)

The board submission of 23 September 2009 had been circulated by email.

H Langsbury and J Williams declared their interest in this topic and withdrew from any discussion of it.

It was noted that the board submission strongly advocated the long-term, high-level protection of SILNA forests in the Catlins as well as full, fair and final compensation for the landowners.

RESOLVED That the board submission be endorsed. Smith/Allan

H Langsbury and J Williams abstained from voting on the motion.

8.12 Mining in Public Conservation Land (SBC 20)

CONFIRMED 8

A board letter of 7 October 2009 and copies of letters of 20 and 27 October 2009 from the West Coast Tai Poutini and Southland Conservation Boards, respectively, to the Minister of Economic Development, Energy and Resources had been circulated by email.

RESOLVED That the letters be received and noted. Smith/Allan

8.13 Review of National Bovine Tuberculosis (Tb) Strategy (SBC 32)

A letter of 12 October 2009 and an associated proposal document from the Animal Health Board and REPORT 0920 had been circulated by email.

H Langsbury recalled that the board had previously expressed concern about the withdrawal of Animal Health Board (AHB) funding for possum control on public conservation land following the eradication of bovine TB in specific areas. In his view, it was desirable for the AHB and DOC to hold discussions on how the transition to possum control fully funded by DOC should be made.

I Scott said that ongoing funding for possum control was essential.

D Holdsworth said that he did not understand the overall focus on possums. Stoats could be vectors for bovine TB too, but pest control contractors were apparently not interested in them. There was an increasingly negative public perception associated with the use of 1080 by the AHB and by DOC.

M van der Goes said that aerial 1080 drops were increasingly more accurate and they involved a third of the amount of poison per hectare used previously. There was no sign that better tools for possum control would become available in the near future.

D Agnew commented that the consent process preceding a 1080 drop should help to prevent situations such as poisoned rabbits in community water supplies.

It was agreed that A Penniket and M Clark would prepare a draft board submission for circulation to all members before it was sent.

8.14 Proposed Plan Change 1B to Regional Plan: Water for Otago (SBC 91)

A letter of 30 October 2009 from the Otago Regional Council had been circulated by email.

RESOLVED That the letter be received. Morris/Langsbury

8.15 Provision of Toilets at Camp Creek (SBC 37)

M van der Goes said she had found out that money was made available for this project, but it was used for other toilets on the Haast Pass Highway .

8.16 Bladder Kelp into the QMS (SBC 39)

The board submission of 21 September 2009 had been circulated by email.

RESOLVED That the board submission be endorsed. Smith/Nixon

8.17 Proposed Hydro Dams on the Clutha River/Mata-Au (SBC 91)

Contact Energy Ltd resource consent conditions and timelines for existing hydro dams on the Clutha River/Mata-Au and the Option 5 Campaign by the Clutha River Forum had been circulated by email.

M van der Goes said that the department had been talking to Contact Energy about its current Clutha River/Mata-Au resource consent conditions for about 18 months. A programme of work was

CONFIRMED 9 underway and there would be annual monitoring of what was being achieved. The company had engaged a person to carry out the required research.

With regard to Option 5, J Williams was of the view that some large electricity generation projects in Otago should be allowed to proceed, so he did not believe that the board should support the campaign. If the Upper Waitaki catchment was excluded, Otago was a net importer of power, with dairying operations being major users.

D Holdsworth said that the problem with the current electricity market was that it was profit-driven rather than demand-driven. Contact Energy wanted to generate more electricity for the benefit of its shareholders. The results of a public survey on preferred methods of power generation showed that most people supported small hydro schemes and wind farms, and were generally opposed to nuclear power generation, big hydro dams and distant power schemes. If future decisions were based on these results, the demand for more electricity for Auckland would be met from local wind farms and tidal power generation rather than from schemes in the South Island.

A Smith undertook to canvass the scientific advisory group in relation to Option 5.

9 PUBLIC EXCLUDED

RESOLVED That pursuant to the Local Government Information and Meetings Act 1987, the public be excluded from the meeting during discussion of the following subjects and for the reasons given:

General subject of each Reason for passing this Grounds under section 48(1) Matter to be considered resolution in relation to for the passing of this each matter resolution 9.1 Confirmation of Public To protect the privacy of 48(1)(a)(ii) Excluded Minutes of natural persons. OIA (9)(2)(a) 18 September 2009 9.2 Matters arising from To protect the privacy of 48(1)(a)(ii) previous Public natural persons. OIA(9)(2)(a) Excluded Minutes 9.3 High Country Issues To enable the department to 48(1)(a)(ii) carry on negotiations without OIA (9)(2)(j) prejudice or disadvantage. 9.4 Board Appointments To maintain constitutional 48(1)(a)(ii) conventions which protect OIA (9)(2)(f) confidentiality of advice tendered by officials of the Crown. That the following officials and persons be permitted to remain at the meeting, after the public has been excluded, because of their knowledge of these topics:

Agenda Item 9

Marian van der Goes Conservator Ken Stewart Community Relations Manager David Agnew Acting Area Manager, Central Otago Area Mark Clark Community Relations Officer (Board Support)

This knowledge, which will be of assistance in relation to the matters to be discussed, is relevant because the stated persons have had input into, advised on or been advised of the matters sought to be excluded. Morris/Williams

RESOLVED That the public be re-admitted. Langsbury/Morris

10 BOARD ADMINISTRATION

CONFIRMED 10

10.1 Board Expenditure (SBC 5)

REPORT 0921 (Board expenditure to 31 October 2009) and a revised Fees and Expenses Fact Sheet had been circulated by email.

Board members noted the current position.

M Clark said that he had changed the Board Fees and Expenses Claim Form to conform with the new instructions. The main changes were that:

– expenses relating to the use of a private vehicle could no longer be claimed if a DOC vehicle was available for the same trip; – claims could be made on an hourly pro rata basis (with the daily fee being the equivalent of eight hours) for board work other than attendance at board meetings, if the board or the board chairperson approved the work before it was undertaken.

10.2 Discussion of Items Raised in Public Forum

With regard to the protection and interpretation of historic values in and around St Bathans, there was general agreement that the interpretation panels which were previously in the St Bathans Hall should be reinstated.

M van der Goes said that this would be done soon.

Referring to the Gold Office concession, K Stewart undertook to have another look at any benefits to the public or to conservation which should be taken into account when the department calculated what fees the concessionaire should pay.

The views of KJ Jennings on the use of the same planner to prepare the draft Mount Aspiring National Park Management Plan and to revise it following public submissions were noted.

On the topic of wilding tree control, I Scott drew attention to the successful efforts involving co- operation by the Queenstown Lakes District Council, DOC and landowners.

G Nixon observed that access was a significant issue for some wilding tree control work in Central Otago. Perhaps someone like Brian Molloy could assist in this regard.

M van der Goes said that she would talk to the Central Otago Area Manager about this and report back to the board.

I Scott commented that LINZ was currently inspecting all pastoral leases over a three year period.

Following a discussion about access into pastoral leases for various purposes, it was agreed that a LINZ representative should be invited to the board meeting on 16 April 2010.

10.3 Discussion of Items for Media Release

There was general agreement with A Smith’s suggestion that if the board did not get good media coverage as a result of the reporter’s presence at the meeting, it should issue a press release congratulating the department on its restoration work involving the St Bathans Hall, and acknowledging the significance of the St Bathans historic precinct.

10.4 Board Meetings and Field Trips (SBC 7)

A list of proposed meeting dates and venues for 2009-2011 had been circulated.

C Tanner and C Morris indicated that they would not be able to attend the board meeting and field trip on 19-20 February 2010 at Tarras.

It was agreed that M Clark should present alternative dates for the February board meeting early next week and settle on the option which suited the majority.

J Williams requested that the Maori rock art site in the lower part of Cluden Station be included in the field trip if possible.

CONFIRMED 11

M Clark said that the DOC Otago Conservancy Skink Recovery Group wanted to use the opportunity of the proposed board meeting in Tarras to give a presentation on the local skink population to the board and the local community.

10.5 Reducing the board’s carbon footprint (SBC 3)

It was noted that some board members had planted two Olearia odorata shrubs beside the new toilet block during the lunch break.

Board members expressed general satisfaction with the way papers had been circulated electronically since the previous board meeting. To refine the system further, it was suggested that M Clark should:

– show under the relevant agenda item, the date on which papers were circulated electronically; – list under a separate agenda item, all the board submissions to be endorsed without further discussion.

H Langsbury said that he and M Clark would prepare a standard procedure for the circulation of board agenda papers electronically and by post.

10.6 Election of Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson (SBC 2)

H Langsbury vacated the chair for this item, and R Allan called for nominations for the position of board chairperson over the next 12 months.

J Williams nominated H Langsbury, and Tanner seconded the nomination. No further nominations were received.

RESOLVED That H Langsbury will be the board chairperson until 26 November 2010. Williams/Tanner

R Allan then called for nominations for the position of deputy board chairperson over the next 12 months.

C Tanner nominated A Smith, and D Holdsworth seconded the nomination. No further nominations were received.

RESOLVED That A Smith will be the deputy board chairperson until 26 November 2010. Tanner/Holdsworth

10.7 Board Committees and Liaison Representatives (SBC 40)

An updated list of board committee and liaison representatives had been circulated.

RESOLVED That the following changes will be made to the list of board committee and liaison representatives:

– D Holdsworth to become a member of the planning committee and the board’s representative on the Dunedin Biodiversity Forum; – R Allan’s name to be removed as an alternative Convenor for the scientific advisory group (on the grounds that one Convenor is all that is necessary); – Nicola Wheen to be included with the scientific advisory group as an expert whom the board can consult for specialist advice on conservation issues; – C Tanner to be the board’s liaison representative in respect of the Canterbury Aoraki Conservation Board; – J Williams to be the board’s liaison representative in respect of Fish and Game Central Sth Island; – H Langsbury to be the board’s liaison representative in respect of the Yellow-eyed Penguin Consultative Group and the Waitaki District Council. Langsbury/Smith Board members whose second terms expired next year were encouraged to invite competent local people to allow themselves to be nominated. H Langsbury said that he would contact B Parker about the possibility of his being nominated for a second term.

CONFIRMED 12

11 INFORMATION ITEMS

11.1 Conservancy Status Reports (SBC 11)

REPORT 0922 (Otago Conservancy Status Report) and REPORT 0923 (West Coast Tai Poutini Conservancy Status Report) had been circulated.

G Nixon said that the Central Otago Ecological Trust planned to release some Otago skinks in the Mokomoko Dryland Sanctuary on 28 November.

A Smith said that the wilding tree tour involving Queenstown Lakes District Councillors was a good idea which could be applied in the Central Otago District.

C Tanner expressed concern about any proposal to place more signs in the Silverpeaks Scenic Reserve as a result of the occasional incident involving recreational users. The area offered a special kind of ‘wilderness’ experience close to Dunedin’s urban centre. More signage would detract from that experience.

RESOLVED That the reports be received and noted. Williams/Nixon

11.2 Concessions - Triggered Applications and Concessions Monitoring (SBC 25)

(a) General Information

Regarding applications for aircraft landings outside Mount Aspiring National Park, K Stewart said that following the hearing of submissions, a final report had been prepared and submitted to the decision maker (i.e. Nelson Conservator), who approved the recommendations.

After receiving lengthy legal advice relating to the proposed Mount Aspiring National Park Management Plan amendment and instructions from Milford Dart Ltd to recommence the processing of its application, the DOC Southland Conservancy (i.e. the lead conservancy) had engaged a consultant to prepare a recommending report. Meetings had been held with Wakatipu staff concerning the alignment of the proposed road to the start of the tunnel and its effects.

The processing of the 12 Mile Delta Camping Ground application had resumed now that the department and the applicant had reached agreement regarding the development plan for the camping ground. It was likely that the outcome would be a smaller camping ground than the one originally proposed, with the option to increase capacity at a later date.

The new interested party had yet to lodge an application for the lease of the Papatowai Camping Ground, as they were currently investigating options for a new sewage treatment system, and mapping out the boundaries of the recreation reserve on which the camping ground is sited. The camp would remain closed to the public this summer owing to the faulty sewage treatment system. This had been publicized in a recent press release.

The application to renew the lease of the Goldfields (Kawarau Gorge) Mining Centre with the option to build a museum on site had been on hold since November 2007, because the applicant had been in negotiations with a local charitable trust which was interested in purchasing the operation. These negotiations had now broken down and the applicant wished to revive his application, leaving out the component that would allow for the future construction of a museum. The board will be consulted on the proposal in the near future.

The application by Good Times Events Ltd for the Routeburn Classic footrace had yet to proceed to the consultation phase on account of issues with the date of the race, which is traditionally held in early May. The Fiordland National Park Management Plan included a policy which required the race to be held in April. The Otago Conservancy had been unable to reach agreement with the Southland Conservancy on the interpretation of that policy, and it was likely that the first determination report would recommend that the race date be moved to April because

CONFIRMED 13 of this legal requirement. Next year’s event will be operated under a one-off permit owing to the delays caused by the policy discussions. The board will be consulted on the proposal in the near future.

(b) WARO Permitting

K Stewart said that new permits for the North Island and for the South Island would come into effect from 1 December. The Te Papanui Conservation Park and the Oteake Conservation Park had been excluded from the South Island permits, because the department had yet to consult with the community in respect of the management of those parks. WARO operations would not be permitted over the Christmas-New Year holiday period or during the ‘roar’, which was a popular time for recreational hunting.

(c) Lake Alta Water Abstraction Application

An application by NZ Ski Limited to vary its concession to take water from Lake Alta had been circulated electronically.

K Stewart tabled a recent photo that showed the existing apparatus partly buried in snow, which was still too deep for removal to be arranged.

C Tanner noted that the proposed control box in the application was considerably bigger than the current one and that the proposed pump could be very noisy as it was close to the surface of the lake. He suggested that the company could consider excavating downwards to reduce the visibility of the box and that the pump could possibly be installed horizontally. K Stewart undertook to approach the company for comment on these suggestions.

C Morris said that it was not clear whether the box was going to be removed in summer.

A Penniket suggested that the box could be camouflaged with artificial rock. He wondered why the pump could not be placed deeper in the water.

G Nixon believed that while the proposed variation represented a big improvement, any consent that was given should require the company to ensure that the apparatus was not visible in winter. Monitoring changes in the level of the lake was desirable too.

11.3 Other Conservation Boards (SBC 63)

C Morris had nothing to report in respect of the West Coast Tai Poutini Conservation Board.

A Penniket (Southland Conservation Board liaison representative) drew attention to the 1080 drop in the Waitutu Forest and a significant disagreement among members of the Subantarctic Regional Marine Protection Planning Forum.

11.4 New Zealand Conservation Authority (SBC 61)

The NZCA minutes of 12-13 August 2009 had been circulated by email.

RESOLVED That the minutes be received and noted. Williams/Smith

11.5 Fish and Game Councils (SBC 66)

R Allan noted that board members had recently received by email the views of Fish and Game Otago on mining in public conservation land. A Nevis Family Fun Day on 29 November had been organized by Fish and Game Otago and several other community groups.

11.6 Board Liaison with Territorial Local Authorities (SBC 67)

A Smith drew attention to the Otago Regional Council’s Stream Day in Central Otago on 20 November.

11.7 Yellow-eyed Penguins (SBC 30)

CONFIRMED 14

Notes of the YEP Consultative Group meeting held on 19 August 2009 had been circulated by email.

11.8 Miscellaneous Publications

Various publications and reports were tabled.

There was general agreement with J Williams’ suggestion that the board should thank Al Morrison for his informative report on the recent World Protected Areas Leadership Forum and compliment him on his incisive summary. J Williams also drew attention to the Symposium on ‘Protecting Marine Animals: A Law, Policy and Science’ on 19 November in Wellington – an event organized by the University of Otago’s Research Cluster for Natural Resources Law.

The meeting ended at 6.15 pm.

Confirmed: / / 2009

Chairperson:

RECORD OF THE PUBLIC FORUM HELD ON 13 NOVEMBER 2009 IN THE ST BATHANS HALL, LOOP ROAD, ST BATHANS STARTING AT 1.30 PM

On behalf of the board, H Langsbury welcomed twelve members of the public and invited them to share any views or comments they had on conservation in Otago.

Max Polglaze, local resident, said that the recent 1080 drop around St Bathans by the Otago Regional Council had been very effective, but there were still lots of rabbits to the north of the village. He would prefer ‘organic’ control methods to be used in the future.

Catherine Spencer, St Bathans Heritage and Environment Preservation Trust, said that the special character of St Bathans was under threat from subdivisions and new buildings. The St Bathans Reserves Draft Management Plan 1983 produced by the former Department of Lands and Survey was an excellent blueprint for the management of the township. The Trust suggested that the department should consult the Historic Places Trust and the Central Otago District Council about updating this plan and having it included in the Central Otago District Plan. She believed that Central Otago District Council hearing panels should include a DOC representative. She asked the department to reinstate the interpretation panels relating to the St Bathans Hall soon.

M van der Goes said that she would pass these comments on to the Central Otago Area Manager, Mike Tubbs.

Kevin Jennings, Executive Manager - Film Otago Southland, drew attention to a positive article about helicopter activity in Mount Aspiring National Park, published in the Southland Times on 13 November 2009. A number of walkers on the Routeburn Track were pleased to be shuttled by helicopter over a section of the track which was covered by snow. Turning to the park management plan review process, he queried whether the department had considered having the submissions process reviewed by personnel who were not actively and fundamentally involved with the creation of the draft plan itself, and suggested that a fresh perspective might provide the opportunity for a more impartial review.

CONFIRMED 15

M van der Goes explained that the plan review process was set out in legislation.

Lorraine Bennett (aka English), local resident, expressed concern about 1080 residue following the recent pest control operation by the Otago Regional Council. Rabbit carcasses were in waterways around the town for up to a month after the poison drop. Her preference was for rabbits to be controlled by a shooter, who could do it for as little as $2.25 a hectare. As far as the cultural landscape was concerned, she had lived in St Bathans for 21 years and had built her house in consultation with the Historic Places Trust and Central Otago District Council planners. The current rules associated with property development in St Bathans were much too liberal. She believed that an independent design committee should be formed to examine any proposed developments in and around the township.

Graye Shattky, Member - Central Otago Environmental Society, congratulated and thanked the board for its contribution to the Environment Court decision which cancelled the resource consents for Project Hayes. While DOC staff members such as Dave Murphy and Mike Tubbs had contributed a great deal to conservation initiatives in Central Otago, there was a public perception that the department could not now be relied upon to be an objective advocate for landscape protection. The decision on Project Hayes meant that from now on, detailed objective assessments of the costs and benefits of any large power generation proposals would need to be supplied. He wondered to what extent the community could rely on DOC to advocate on its behalf and to provide objective assessments in connection with such proposals.

H Langsbury pointed out that the department had been constrained in its advocacy role by the Government’s decision to prepare an All-of-Government submission on Project Hayes.

M van der Goes said that DOC was not New Zealand’s conscience with regard to landscape protection and it did not employ a lot of landscape architects. Its focus was on biodiversity protection. Communities were responsible for protecting landscapes that were important to them.

Graye Shattky believed that this issue needed to be debated at a national level.

Anne Wright, local resident, said that she currently leased the Gold Office from DOC, but she hardly made any money after paying the required Public Liability insurance premium, the annual concession management fee of $300.00 plus GST, and the minimum concession fee of $400.00 plus GST. It had cost her about $700.00 to advertise the proposed lease too. She suggested that she was doing DOC a favour by cleaning the building and opening it regularly for public viewing.

K Stewart explained that the department was required to recover its costs in connection with concession application processing, and that it was a legal requirement for concessionaires to have Public Liability insurance. However, he agreed to review the extent to which benefits to the public had been taken into account when the lease was granted.

Grahame Sydney, Member - Central Otago Environmental Society, shared his concerns about the spread of wilding trees in Central Otago. He suggested that the rocky landscapes around Alexandra and Earnscleugh would be obliterated within 10 years unless steps were taken now to prevent this from happening. There was a serious wilding tree problem high up on the Kakanuis too. In Canterbury and Southland, DOC was working with the respective regional councils to control wilding trees. He looked to the board to be the voice of the community on this issue and he asked the board to take the lead on what should be done.

H Langsbury thanked everyone for their comments and invited them to stay for the rest of the meeting if they wished to do so.

RECORD OF FIELD INSPECTION OF SITES AT AND NEAR ST BATHANS ON 13-14 NOVEMBER 2009

CONFIRMED 16

Board members H Langsbury, R Allan, D Holdsworth, C Morris, G Nixon, A Penniket, I Scott, A Smith, C Tanner and J Williams; and M van der Goes (Conservator), K Stewart (Community Relations Manager), and M Clark (Board Support Officer) from the DOC Otago Conservancy office; and Anita Middlemiss (Programme Manager - Visitor/Historic Assets) and Tim Whittaker (Conservation Officer - Tenure Review) from the DOC Central Otago Area office; and Jeff Connell (former Otago Conservator) took part in the field trip on 14 November. All except A Middlemiss, T Whittaker and J Connell were also present throughout the day on 13 November.

On 13 November, party members admired the results of the department’s extensive restoration work on the St Bathans Hall (St Bathans Hall Historic Reserve) where the board meeting and public forum were held. Several party members also inspected the Gold Office and the St Bathans Post Office in the nearby St Bathans Post Office Historic Reserve. A few walked part of the track network which provided views overlooking the Blue Lake Recreation Reserve, and some board members helped to plant two Olearia odorata shrubs beside the new toilet block in that reserve.

On 14 November, the party drove north along the East Branch of the Upper Manuherikia (Camp Creek) through part of the Oteake Conservation Park to the Little Omarama Saddle, stopping en route to appreciate the largely-unmodified tussock grassland landscapes of the Upper Manuherikia catchment. J Connell, A Middlemiss and T Whittaker drew attention to recent tenure review outcomes, public access arrangements, and other features of interest, including the northern section of the Oteake Conservation Area, which had been excluded from the Oteake Conservation Park because it was situated over part of a large lignite deposit in the Upper Manuherikia.

Party members noted the presence of Coprosma intertexta as well as Coprosma propinqua in the grey shrublands at lower levels. Some very resilient examples of scree buttercup (Ranunculus crithmifolius) were seen at the Little Omarama Saddle, where good views of the Ewe Range to the east and the Wether Range and Dunstan Range (as distinct from the Dunstan Mountains) to the west were available. Much of the latter area formed part of the Dunstan Peaks pastoral lease, which was currently undergoing tenure review.

The party backtracked most of the way down the East Branch of the Upper Manuherikia (Camp Creek) and then turned west across the Mutton Creek catchment to the West Branch of the Upper Manuherikia and Boundary Creek Hut. Everyone was favourably impressed with the quality of the work on the upgraded hut, with its 8 bunks, metal wall-mounted candle holders, coal range and insulated walls. Some party members walked to the ruins of a previous hut nearby. Flowering wire-netting bush (Corokia cotoneaster) and an example of fragrant Clematis marata were among the local plants that were identified.

At a rocky bluff a short distance to the south of the hut, snow totara (Podocarpus nivalis), Pimelea traversii and Hebe rakaiensis were seen.

Before heading home, the party drove to Falls Dam from the south, noting the values in the Fiddlers Flat Conservation Area and discussing the issue of public access along the eastern shore of the lake behind the dam. A proposed increase in the level of the lake and the potential danger of the ‘Glory Hole’ outlet near the dam meant that ongoing discussions were required to maintain public access around the Dam.