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Download AudioTe Tai Tonga MP Rino Tirikatene says the reclassification of stewardship land could be the opportunity to resolve long-standing issues with so-called SILNA land.
Much of the land granted a century ago under the South Island Landless Natives Act is next to stewardship land, which is land that came under the Department of Conservation when it was formed 30 years ago but which has still not been classified for its conservation or heritage values.
Some SILNA blocks also lie within national parks.
Mr Tirikatene says some of the lands with development potential could be exchanged for SILNA land with high conservation values.
“There are some significant areas of land there which are under the domain of DoC or the Crown which are still yet to be resolved and perhaps this process may be able to free up some reclassified land which may be able to be put to use to resolve some of those long-standing SILNA issues,” he says.
The Department of Conservation and a Ngāi Tahu-led mana whenua panel are currently seeing feedback on recommendations covering 600,000 hectares of stewardship land on Te Tai Poutini, the West Coast.
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