Northland conservation planning about to get stamp of approval

Date:  18 November 2013

At its meeting on 8 November 2013, the Northland Conservation Board recommended the approval of the Department of Conservation's (DOC) new Conservation Management Strategy (CMS) for Northland 2013–2023. Representatives from the Board and DOC will present the CMS to the New Zealand Conservation Authority (NZCA) on 11 December 2013 for consideration and approval.

Northland Conservation Board Chair Mita Harris said, "This is a momentous accomplishment for conservation in Northland. The new strategy sets out a framework to expand conservation efforts over the next ten years and beyond."

Northland Conservation Board members from left: Judi Gilbert, Ian McGill, Mita Harris, Piet Nieuwland (DOC), Richard Robbins, Hori Parata, Tracey Andrews-Smith

Mr Harris said, "Northland has many of New Zealand's natural and cultural taonga/treasures and some of the most diverse marine environments in the country. The new CMS provides a vision for Northland and identifies outcomes for places that are special to communities and tangata whenua – from the species-rich shrub-lands of Te Paki and the diverse kauri forests of Waipoua and Puketi to our distinctive offshore islands."

Mr Harris said it had also been important to the Board that the strategy addressed some of Northland's challenging conservation issues including the ongoing loss of indigenous biodiversity, the impacts of fire, invasive pests and disease, and the effects of increasing visitor numbers on natural and historic sites.

"The Board is delighted with the outcome. Six years in the making, the development of the new CMS has been a major undertaking and a top priority for the Board." He said Conservation Boards oversee the preparation and implementation of CMS among their statutory duties.

"The Board would like to thank the community, iwi and hapu who actively engaged in the consultation and offered invaluable input that helped us devise a new direction for conservation in Northland." He said Te Uri o Hau and Te Roroa would have further opportunity to comment on the Northland CMS for a finite period during the NZCA's consideration of the CMS.

Mr Harris also acknowledged and congratulated DOC for the professional and proactive manner in which it sought to engage the public in the review, which had provided an excellent foundation for the new CMS.

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