Public notification period closed for stewardship land on the West Coast
Submissions closed at 5 pm on 23 August 2022. We asked for your views on the proposed reclassifications for 504 pieces of stewardship land on the West Coast before final decisions are made.
Stewardship land was allocated to DOC when it was formed in 1987. ‘Stewardship’ is a conservation category which provides protection based on the natural and historic values of the land.
Around 30% of conservation areas are held in stewardship – over 2.7 million hectares or 9% of New Zealand’s total land area. Many of these areas are home to threatened species and high-priority ecosystems.
All stewardship land held by DOC is held because of the conservation values present on the land. It does not have to be reclassified for its conservation values to be managed and protected.
However, reclassifying stewardship land would ensure there are additional layers of protection for the land that needs it the most.