Board welcomes review of Conservation Management Strategy

Date:  16 March 2015

The Wellington Conservation Board welcomes the review of the Wellington Conservation Management Strategy (CMS).

The preliminary consultation process for the Wellington CMS is now underway. This CMS applies to a vast area from Wellington, up the east coast through the Wairarapa and Tararua Districts, across the Ruahine Forest Park, from Taihape out to the mouth of the Turakina River and back down the Rangitikei and Horowhenua-Kapiti coast to Wellington. A draft publication is scheduled for public consultation later this year.

Wellington Conservation Board Chair Anne Lawrence says “I am looking forward to the CMS process: it is a real opportunity for local people to influence what happens on conservation land in our area. The more people contribute ideas, the better informed we will be in putting together the CMS.”

Conservation Boards provide for interaction between local communities and the Department of Conservation (DOC). They play a key role in providing advice to DOC and the New Zealand Conservation Authority (NZCA). Boards also advocate for conservation in other statutory processes and public forums.

A core function of the Conservation Board is to oversee the development of a CMS, a strategic statutory document which guides how general conservation policies will be implemented. The CMS also establishes objectives for the integrated management of natural and historic resources and for recreation, tourism and other conservation purposes.