FAIR TRADE
A ‘quiet achiever’ has been protecting conservation areas at minimal cost for the past 25 years, writes Gerard Hutching.
shrublands.
It is a contestable fund that the Minister of Conservation controls, not the Department of Conservation. In the early 2000s the fund was allocated as much as $10m a year, but that has drastically fallen to about $2m today.
Scientist-advocate Dr Les Molloy, who became a committee member in 2008, has written a history of the Fund.
‘‘To chart the way into the future we need to know something about the past. It’s a rich story, and very diverse,’’ he says.
The fund has been notable for its hard-nosed approach to negotiations. Any proposal has to The map shows the geographic spread of the areas protected by the NHF on private land through purchases and covenants throughout New Zealand and Chatham Island in the 25 years since 1990. The points are indicative only and do not reflect the size of the individual areas protected. stack up against clear criteria for what is valuable from a conservation point of view.
Fund negotiators are known to drive a hard bargain and have walked away rather than pay unrealistic dollars that might encourage other landowners to bid up prices.
On the other hand, in cases where the public clamours for protecting an area, they have been flexible in offering farmers ways to maintain their income.
McSweeney, who understands economic realities after 27 years of running South Island wilderness lodges, says there has not always been room for sentimentality.
‘‘It would be nice to say we were working with people who loved the land and wanted to protect it and leave it forever, but so much of our work hasn’t been that sort of convenanting, cups of tea, bed of roses sort of stuff.
‘‘It’s actually been responding to rapid changes in the market which have put pressure on natural environments,’’ he says.
Landscape architect Di Lucas, who has been chairwoman of the committee for all its 25 years, singles out the fund manager Allan McKenzie for special praise for tenaciously pursuing every application, even if some failed.
‘‘He was the rock of the NHF for 24 years.
‘‘His memory, knowledge of people, geography and history of every case was phenomenal.’’
Under the National Government funding has been drastically reduced, she says, and to cope with the constant stream of applications it would be ‘‘great’’ to see the annual budget rise to $5m.
Lucas looks back with satisfaction on a role that has made a difference.
‘‘There’s not many things you get to do in life which are in perpetuity – I love that.’’ For a free copy of NHF-Admin@doc.govt.nz write to