Tama Potaka: Conservation Minister on Abel Tasman land being returned to Māori after historic Nelson Tenths case settlement

The Abel Tasman walk has been returned to its original owners - but the Conservation Minister's unsure how it'll affect the iconic tramp's price-tag.

The Government's today signed an agreement to restore thousands of hectares of land in the upper South Island to descendants of original owners, Te Tauihu.

It includes a 25-year agreement to continue the Great Walk.

Minister Tama Potaka says walk management remains with the Department of Conservation, public access guaranteed.  

"There are arrangements in place around a number of issues - those arrangements remain confidential."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Bryan Bridge. Three thousand hectares of land at the top
of the South Island is returning to Mardi ownership. This
is not a treaty settlement thing. It is land though
that the Crown promised to a group of v We
and their descendants way back in the eighteen forties. It
includes the abel Tasman Great Walk, Tama Portuka is the
Ministry of Conservation with me live good evening.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Hey curt mate, and Merry Christmas to you. Three thousand
hectares have been confirmed in the ownership. That's what the
court said. It never went out of ownership.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
Great point of clarification. So who so does that mean
that Maori have always owned the able Tasman Great Walk
and will continue to own.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
There are parts of the Great Walk and part of
parts of the top of the South Island which the
owners own. The court confirmed that. And now we have
reached arrangements on a range of matters.

Speaker 1 (00:50):
What are those arrangements? Can will we have always be
able to walk on it? Everyone?

Speaker 2 (00:55):
Yes, public access has been confirmed for the park for
the next twenty five years. There's a confidential arrangement that
goes with that, but it enables us to enjoy that
wondrous and iconic place. We all love it. Anyone who's
been there thinks it's beautiful, and anyone who hasn't needs
to go.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
What happens after twenty five years, Oh.

Speaker 2 (01:15):
There'll be some discussions as we go forward. Of course,
DOC and the owners of that land will want to
work together to make sure that the tracks and good
maintenance and good seed and the huts of course, and
at near the end of the twenty five years there'll
be discussion about continuing with arrangements.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
So does DOC look after it for the next twenty
five years.

Speaker 2 (01:34):
Yes, it'll be seamless. There will be no change in
the public facing interaction by the public with the track
and with the Department Conservation. There might be a couple
of improvements along the way, like a bit more cultural
identities and cultural markets around.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
And who pays for all this, like who's paying for
the upkeep of the track and for the next twenty
five years and for the maintenance and all that stuff.

Speaker 2 (01:56):
Well, Doc's had a free use of the track for many,
many years, and Doc canntinues to maintain the track as
well and will continue to do this. As I said,
there's a change in the ownership, a change in the title,
but the management, the upkeep, the maintenance will be continued
by DOC.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
Okay for twenty five years.

Speaker 2 (02:11):
For the next twenty five years. There'll be discussions along
the way, and those will be done in good face.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
And are we going to pay rent? Doc going to
be I mean, will we be paying money to the
group of EWE in order to use the track?

Speaker 2 (02:23):
Well, there are arrangements from place around a number of issues.
Those arrangements remain confidential. I think you'll be aware that
the group representing the owners is a private trust and
those arrangements remain confidential.

Speaker 1 (02:36):
Does that cost get passed on to the users?

Speaker 2 (02:41):
Well, the interaction with the track by users. There are
some payments that are made for the huts already and
for camp sites.

Speaker 1 (02:50):
Will they go down there?

Speaker 2 (02:51):
Your note? Well, I don't think that's what's going to happen.
But public access is has been guaranteed.

Speaker 1 (03:00):
It's guaranteed. But will it cost more?

Speaker 2 (03:02):
Well, I think you know as much as I did
it last year. We made we had some discussions about
DOC becoming a little bit more prudent financially. We're so
right across the country. There are changes from time to
time around hut fees and campground fees, and those happened
on a regular basis as business as usual, right.

Speaker 1 (03:22):
But there'll be no specific change or extra charge for
able tessment as a result of this deal.

Speaker 2 (03:28):
That's an operational matter and I leave it for operational matter,
the operational management of DOC.

Speaker 1 (03:33):
What's your expectation as a minister?

Speaker 2 (03:36):
My expectation and what has been confirmed, is that there
will be public access.

Speaker 1 (03:40):
To the track at what cost? Do you not care?

Speaker 2 (03:44):
No? What I've said to you, Ryan, is that for
huts and camp sites, there are costs across the country
for various huts and campsites on various trackstically for the
Great particularly for the we're.

Speaker 1 (03:58):
Not paying rent, but we're not paying rent the land
on which we're walking on most tracks, are we So
this is quite a particular situation. So have you not
asked the question will the cost go up or not?

Speaker 2 (04:09):
But Ryan, most Great walks DOC owns most of the land.
This is a different situation exactly, and the land has
actually owned Some of the land is owned by the
Crown and some of the land is owned by private landowners. So,
as I said before, public access has been guaranteed. There
are already charges for the use of huts and campsites

(04:32):
throughout the country at various National parks and Great walks.
In other matters, all.

Speaker 1 (04:37):
Right, Claire is mud Tuma appreciate that Tama Putaka Minister
of Conservation. For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen
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