Invercargill Stakeholder Meeting 15 October 2003
Invercargill Working Men's Club, 154 Esk Street
2pm to 4pm
20 Attended (Environment Southland, MAF Policy Agent, Farm Forestry, Southland District Council, Men of the Trees, Southland Fish and Game, Federated Farmers, DOC)
Commentary
· OSH liabilities and responsibilities.
- Want to be indemnified for liabilities to visitors.
- Easier to shut the gate.
- This is a major issue.
- Need more individual responsibility.
· Access should be by negotiation, not a `taking'.
· Local authorities - use esplanade strips on subdivision because ownership remains with landowners - seems to be well received.
- Can be an ad hoc trigger, but a possible starting point.
· Will there be monetary compensation?
· Apirima and Mataura have problems similar to the Oreti River.
- Need to align the legal roads/reserves with the rivers.
- Cost?
· How could such issues be resolved more simply and in a less costly way?
· Do not need a right to roam, but need the ability to walk along rivers - flexibility and practicality.
· A solution is needed, because people will want to go to rivers etc.
- Definition is needed and because of the anomalies that exist.
· Naïve to say that people cannot be stopped.
· Leave the situation as it is and remove landowner liabilities.
· Has there been a loss of walking access to and along rivers?
- If this can be sorted other problems will reduce.
· A fear that this may extend to vehicle access.
· Access problems nearly always seem to relate to vehicles and firearms.
- OSH may be real.
- One bad event may sour farmers but access can give lots of honest eyes.
· Landowners need to be aware that the public has a right of access along unformed legal roads.
- If liability were removed, responsibility would need to rest elsewhere, e.g. the Crown.
· Could you deem land to be used for access to be private land?
· The Government could legislate to put a marginal strip along waterways with mechanisms to help identify access points.
· Would like to see access along a river and get rid of roads within paddocks (e.g. Oreti River situation).
· Some landowners feel that the best means of defence is attack.
- Where is the Queen's Chain along a meandering river?
· The best way may be to create a marginal strip that follows and moves with the river and get rid of the OSH liability.
· Local authorities do not seem to be interested in helping to pay for gorse, broom etc.
· Seems to be little understanding of the responsibilities of users.
· The goodwill factor is a key aspect.
· The concept is not fencing all roads etc; it is only about walking access.
· Is there enough access (e.g. legal roads) but not where people want them and will not walk?
· Why not be satisfied with the 70% of the Queen's Chain that exists?
- If the public wants the rest, why can't it pay for it?
· There are no vehicles wanted on property.
· Cannot take land for access.
· There are clearly two issues: access along rivers and access across land to rivers.
· Tenure review is enhancing access, generally for walking and/or mountain biking.
· Vehicle access is an issue.
· It seems to be accepted that access across land should be negotiated but could be a case for acquiring land where essential (e.g. where no access is readily available) /appropriate.
- Negotiation should be the first option.
· Paper roads could possibly be used as a negotiation tool.
· New Zealand seems to like the open country and conservation but seems to be a contrast because of the push to increase access.
· Exclusive capture - an access agency could help negotiate to cover these problems.
· No rights without responsibilities.
- Could a code of conduct help?
- Who will enforce a code of conduct?
· Security is a potential sore point with landowners.
· Water quality and run-off: If the Government is serious about these, they could put up the fencing and maintain the fenced-off land, but that introduces a `them and us' syndrome and may not work.
· Need to sort out and tidy up what we have got and make it work and then see what we need.
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
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