Napier Stakeholder Meeting 10 October 2003
Taradale Club (Inc), 56 Wharerangi Road
2-4pm
29 Attended
Commentary
· Problem with advertising.
- No location.
- Had to call the Labour Party office.
· Why is there no Queen's Chain associated with Maori land?
- What does the `Crown' mean - the land/people or the duchy?
- The Government can change.
- Why are we afraid of the Crown - it is the embodiment of the people.
· So there is no right of way access on Maori land?
· So we do not have to keep the Queen's Chain when we buy land from Maori because it is not required by the Government?
· How much Maori land does not have a reserve on it?
· For the purposes of identifying proportions, what was defined as a waterway?
· The right to roam is recognised in Scotland, being carried out in England but it does not mean that you can go where you like.
· Pleased at the rights of way in England.
· Are we talking about another level of bureaucracy?
· Explain `deeming access'.
· Explain `compensation'.
· The Queen's Chain is there, accept it.
· The point is that we are doing this for our children and grandchildren.
· How do you picture the strategy being formed?
· Would the strategy encompass all points of view?
· Where do you see regional councils being involved?
· This is an attempt to find a solution from Wellington.
· This is about access to another district or information on access.
- Have to know who to write to.
- A lot of times this is difficult.
- Have to go outside of the district sometimes.
· District and regional councils are not the right groups.
- DOC is New Zealand wide.
- It is where people go to seek information.
- Foreigners should use an information centre.
- Would an access agency deal to district councils that are not doing their job properly?
· Are councils required by their strategies to address access issues?
· Councils need to address this and have an access strategy.
· This seems `a bit waffly'.
- Several places may say that they would like to have people access them.
- What is to stop people from saying sorry, no access?
· Councils could look at the issues to come back to clubs and groups with solutions.
· If responsibilities are going to stay with councils, more of a stick is needed - bad council performance.
· A significant issue, fundamental to enjoying the outdoors, is now increasingly difficult.
· Good job in grappling with the issue, but need to translate this into action.
· People should not be intimidating to landowners.
· New Zealand is changing rapidly, people want to preserve the right to be able to go to the beach and rivers.
· No way will a council enforce access over private land, intend to promote biodiversity for landowners.
- Uneasy that property rights are being reduced.
· How do you see property rights from public land to private land?
· There is a problem of people going on paper roads with dogs and bikes, with out of date and inaccurate maps and information being given out.
· There is no such thing as a paper road, it is either a road or it is not.
· Most of the public do not know where paper roads are.
· Legal roads are not always a practical place for access.
· A paper road is about resourcing, it is something put there for a purpose.
- It is possible to negotiate access where the paper road goes.
· Are resources going to be coming through for negotiation?
· Agree with the spirit that negotiation is important, but there are enough resources.
· Access is an issue, lifestyle is an issue.
- Why is this only walking access?
- Should other access have been considered?
- Need to be realistic.
· On the other side of the coin, people have the right to say who is on their property, for practical reasons - it is a workplace.
- Landowners will fight non-negotiated access.
· Councils develop regional outcomes.
· There is scattered land information, it is a matter of how to get it together and define legal walkways.
· On a national basis DOC has consultation underway regarding recreational opportunities, mainly on DOC land.
- DOC sees access as a major issue and seeks input on it.
· Admire Jim Sutton for opening this `can of worms'.
- Mistakes in the past in terms of creating the Queen's Chain.
· Problems of lock out of traditional access areas, foreign ownership, exclusivity.
- It should be an approval requirement of the OIC to restore the Queen's Chain when land is in foreign ownership.
- Some people abuse access and local authorities encourage access to other areas.
- Problems regarding marijuana, vandalism - can understand why property owners are apprehensive.
· Are vandals prevalent?
· 4WD focuses on access and good housekeeping.
- You do not represent the people that I am talking about.
- Sometimes people cannot walk to areas.
· Organised groups have their own codes of conduct, they have no problems of access.
- Have 100 people on a database who regularly go through farmland.
- It is not good if there are vandals - it does not happen often, probably when individuals go through.
- Problems when people do not know boundaries.
· Vehicle access through negotiation.
· Legislation requires co-operation with landowners.
· Importance of responsible recreation and those causing damage if they are let in.
· There are landowners restricting access for no good reason, exclusive access arrangements in upper rivers.
· Respect the landowner's right to generate income and appreciate the 1926 Act.
· Do you anticipate the prospect of the Crown doing similar to the 1926 Act in certain areas?
· How much work has been done on a code of conduct?
· A code of conduct could be a useful method for identifying what is right and what is wrong, with input for schools.
· Isn't this being done by regional councils?
· Not all solutions will be at a local level, deal with national issues at a national level.
· This is going to require a large amount of money to be given out.
· The QEII Trust is a great example of partnership initiatives working well.
· Have to identify which areas already have a lot of accessways - unless they have already been identified, you will not know where you are in the process.
· A code of conduct is only good for those that will go with it.
- There are always irresponsible people.
- The right to roam - duck shooting, eat mushrooms.
- People do not care if you are in the middle of farming.
- Fire is the responsibility of the landowner.
- This is why people are shutting down access.
· There is some very good access to waterways.
- Signage is there, as long as people know about it.
- We have to look after what we have got.
- Database of access.
· Do not know of any landowner not allowing access.
- Landowners cannot take everybody.
- The Queen's Chain is used as an excuse by a lot of fishers.
- A lot of streams are not accessible.
- Most people do not know what a cadastral map is, or how to read it.
· Rights have been given out for exclusive access to some areas, people do not want to get a helicopter to fly in.
- Got to clarify where the Queen's Chain is, where people can access rivers.
- This is a grey area.
- Some of the rights that have been given away, people cannot get back.
Contact for Enquiries
Rural Affairs Coordinator
Sector Performance Policy
MAF Policy
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
PO Box 2526
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND
Phone: +64 4 894 0675
Fax: +64 4 4 894 0745
Contact this person
