Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) has opened consultation on proposed changes to the Crown's management of pastoral land in the South Island high country.

The Government has announced that tenure review of pastoral leases is to end.

Much of the Crown pastoral land is divided into pastoral leases used for grazing. Tenure review has been a voluntary process by which Crown pastoral land can be sold to a leaseholder and areas with a high ecological or other value, or required by the Crown for another purpose, are returned to full Crown ownership.

With the ending of tenure review, the Crown is set to be a long-term steward for pastoral land, requiring it to take a stronger and enduring stewardship role.

“It will be critical that the regulatory system governing Crown pastoral land supports effective management, which is why the legislative changes being proposed are so important,” says Jamie Kerr, Deputy Chief Executive Policy and Overseas Investment.

“The Government wants to work in partnership with others to achieve better outcomes for Crown pastoral land in the high country, so I would urge anyone with a passion for this landscape to read the discussion document and submit their views."

The consultation is open until Friday, 12 April 2019.