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New park for Mackenzie Basin
17 jul 2006

A new conservation park that protects some of the most spectacular scenery in South Canterbury was officially opened today by Associate Minister of Conservation, Mahara Okeroa.

The Ruataniwha Conservation Park includes over 37,000 hectares of rugged mountain country, tussocklands, beech forest and sparkling clear rivers, in the ranges and valleys bordering lakes Ohau and Pukaki.

?The scenery here is like something off the cover of a box of chocolates. It?s absolutely stunning,? said Mr Okeroa.

?This new park brings together existing conservation areas and new lands that have come out of tenure review and gives them stronger, more marketable, identity,? he said.

?The park will give these lands a higher status and a higher level of protection. A park is a term that?s universally known and valued; it means so much more to people.

?We already know this area is well-loved and visited by locals – as a park we expect it to attract more visitors from further afield,? he said.

Tramping, climbing, mountain biking, commercial skiing, ski touring, horse trekking and 4WD activities are all well catered for in the new conservation park. Mountain biking in particular is a huge, growing industry and there are numerous trails within this region for bikers.

This is the second conservation park for the Mackenzie Basin in as many years, with the Ahuriri Conservation Park officially opened in March 2005.

?Since the Ahuriri was opened, a survey over the summer months has shown a vast increase in the amount of people visiting the area, with 60% of those surveyed being first-time visitors to the park,? said Mr Okeroa.

?And with 18% of those sampled being international visitors, the park?s contribution to local tourism is clear. As we extend our network of conservation parks we are creating a substantial ecological, social and economic asset, which will deliver benefits for the people of New Zealand for generations to come,? he said.

As more neighbouring areas are surveyed or negotiated as part of tenure review of pastoral leases, they will be periodically added to the park.

The Ruataniwha Conservation Park is one more notch in the government’s Public Wildlands Programme, which aims to ensure more lasting protection of and access to key areas of importance for recreation and conservation, at a time of rapidly changing land ownership, land use, and development.

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