Ellesmere land study criticised

Press, 15 July 1985, Page 36

Ellesmere land study criticised

The Lands and Survey Department should have consulted Federated Farmers before compiling its Lake Ellesmere Crown land study, according to the chairman of the Ellesmere branch of Federated Farmers, Mr Roger Gilbert.

A consultant, Mr John Palmer, began the study in January and it is now under review by the department before it is published for public comment. It is a study of the Crown land round the lake edges as a basis for determining the future status of this land.

Mr Gilbert said recently that the department should have discussed the report with Federated Farmers while compiling it, as other bodies did when they compiled reports.

“The North Canterbury Catchment Board, for example, is always willing to discuss its reports with Federated Farmers before publishing them,” he said. “Our concern stems from the wider study that came out in 1983, ‘Ellesmere: A Critical Area,” and the way it was carried out by Mr Palmer and the department.

“Our submissions to that study complained that agricultural and drainage considerations had been virtually ignored in favour of maintaining Ellesmere wet-

lands. The lake is very important not only to farmers round it but also to farmers well back from the lake.” When the first study was prepared it also failed to consult Federated Farmers or local county councils, Mr Gilbert said. “There were a number of factual errors in that study. When Mr Palmer compiled an analysis of submissions to that first study he appears to have picked out submissions that suited him and ignored others. “Some of the answers given to submissions were also very weak. The biblography of that analysis shows little reference to literature that reflected the agricultural and drainage points of views. “We cannot see why the department is not prepared to talk to us at this stage on the Lake Ellesmere Crown land study. Federated Farmers’ North Canterbury provincial executive has written to the Commissioner of Crown Lands, Mr Laurie Kenworthy, expressing our concern as well as to the Minister of Lands, Mr Wetere.

“The reply from Mr Wetere says that the appropriate time for Federated Farmers to contribute to the study is during the public comment stage. We have

written again to him to express our disagreement with this.” Mr Kenworthy said yesterday that he had written to Federated Farmers saying that the best opportunity for its involvement in the study was at the time of public comment. “I think that is perfectly fair, bearing in mind that Mr Palmer has had quite extensive consultation with individual farmers who lease Crown land on the lake edge,” he said. “I doubt if there is any other Government department that operates as openly as our department does in the release of information.

“I accept that with a study of this nature there will be differing interpretations as to its merits and fairness. Consultations for each study that we carry out depend on the circumstances of each study but our general principle is to consult widely with groups, as we have done with this study.” The department’s senior planning officer, Mr David Alexander, said this week that after receiving submissions to study the department would analyse them and make changes to the study accordingly. “We will, of course, give very careful thought to what organisations such as Federated Farmers have to say about the study. After making the final changes we send the study to the Land Settlement Board in Wellington who will decide whether to approve the study.

“Crown lands round Lake Ellesmere have so far been administered on an ad hoc basis and this study will help to establish a policy for the future management of this land.” The chairman of the Wairewa County Council, Mr Bill Thompson, who leases Crown land at the lake edge, said this week that the Crown land study

was likely to favour wetlands protection. “This was my concern with the first, wider study which seemed to be biased against use of the land round the lake for farming,” he said. “Enough land round Lake Ellesmere has already been acquired for bird reserves.

“One concern about the birds is that if exotic grasses are grown on land near the lake to help feed them it could encourage the birds to eat more farm pasture. If the Crown secures a complete strip round the lake I think that environmentalists will lobby to have the lake level raised.

This would be part of an effort to return the lake to its natural state, Mr Thompson said. “A raised lake level would not only affect farmers round the lake but also farmers as far back as Tai Tapu with problems of surplus surface water. I think the Wairewa County Council generally holds the same view as I do — that is, to keep the status quo with Crown land round the lake edge.

“The more land that the Crown acquires the fewer are the landowners left to pay rates in the area. The rates pay for the release of water out to sea when the lake reaches certain levels. So these landowners would probably be faced with higher rates to meet these costs.” The chairman of the Ellesmere County Council, Mr Mick Walker, said this week that increasing rates for farmers in the area had already presented “headaches” for them. “I know of some cases where the rates have gone from $l2OO to $l7OO in one year and there is still no security that the land will not be flooded at times,” he said. “My council also favours the status quo for the Crown land round the lake edge.”