Future of tenure review
While 1.3 million ha of the high country has been identified as having conservation values, the final amount transferring into conservation is likely to be a lot less than that.
Much will depend on the outcomes of tenure review. These in turn will depend on negotiations between the leaseholders and Land Information New Zealand, the agency that manages tenure review.
As a result, government has no target for the area of high country to be set aside for conservation. It recognises, however, that the eastern side of the Southern Alps, and the values contained therein, are under-represented in the public conservation estate.
In June 2007 the government called a halt to tenure review of lakeside properties in the high country. In so doing, the government wished to protect the iconic landscapes in the areas of Lakes Pukaki, Tekapo, Ohau, Hawea, Wanaka and Wakatipu.