Minister of Conservation considers Glenaray Station submissions

Lake Scott and Blue Lake, on Glenaray Station in the Garvie Mountains. Photo / Rob Brown and Guy Williams

A proposal to turn about 38,000ha of Glenaray Station into public conservation land has attracted 32 submissions.

Submissions opened in November for the public to have their say on the preliminary tenure review proposal which had been developed for the 62,000ha station in northern Southland — New Zealand's largest high country pastoral lease — made up of Glenaray and Whitecomb pastoral leases.

If it goes ahead, the 38,000ha proposed as conservation land will contribute to existing conservation areas and reserves nearby.

An additional 13,400ha of freehold land would be subject to conservation covenants which would restrict activities such as grazing, vegetation clearance and burning, and the rest of the pastoral lease would become freehold without conditions.

Glenaray, farmed by the Pinckney family for five generations, adjoins the Old Woman Range and Kopuwai Conservation Areas to the north, the Bain Block Conservation Area to the east, the Waikaia Forest Conservation Area to the south, and surrounds the Garvie Lakes Scenic Reserve. Its landscape,home to more than 60 threatened species and 15 rare plants, is regarded as internationally significant.

The submissions would be made publicly available on Linz's website once the Commissioner of Crown Lands had completed and provided a report to the Minister of Conservation on which submissions had been accepted, a Linz spokeswoman said.