The Ryton Station Case: Will DoC/Landcorp Partnership Work?

Forest and Bird, Volume 18, Issue 4, 1 November 1987, Page 8

The Ryton Station Case: Will DoC/Landcorp Partnership Work?

FMC

Dave Henson,

It March, Pinnacle Resorts Ltd announced they were investigating a major tourist development near Lake Coleridge — what has been described as Canterbury's largest tourist resort, estimated to cost about $100 million. The proposal included a new skifield in the upper Ryton basin on the Craigieburn Range. In April a 6-km vehicle track was quickly bulldozed up the Ryton Valley to the crest of the ridge between Mt Olympus and Mt Cheeseman. A tramping party traversing this ridge met a 4WD vehicle at 1800 metres altitude. The road cuts a swathe through the tussock basin and reaches the ridgetop via a highly visible zig-zag. Pastoral lessees require permission

for track construction and in the 60's and 70's approval was given for much insensitive roading, sometimes to 1700 metres altitude, for land development. Recently commercial recreation has caused a new wave of tracking. An Official landscape policy now exists and Land Corporation must consult the Department of Conservation before issuing permits. Theoretically new roading should be both essential and of minimal impact. Unfortunately deliberate breaches still occur. FMC enquiries established that construction had not been by Pinnacle Resorts but by the lessees of Mt Olympus Station. Their connection with the tourist company is unclear but the road is for use in skifield surveys. DoC

advised that the runholder had applied for a permit and they had stipulated it must end in the valley floor until a decision had been made whether to develop the skifield. Illegal track cons truction pre-empted these conditions. Landcorp, when approached was obstructive. They attempted to justify the lessee’s actions and challenged interest groups’ rights to object. Officials now propose a bond of $10,000 to cover landscape and vegetation restoration should the skifield not proceed. It is doubtful if such restoration is practicable. The real question is whether DoC’s recommendations on natural and landscape values will be respected by Landcorp and lessees in future.