Foreshore Plans Disappoint

Foreshore Plans Disappoint

Federated Farmers of New Zealand (Inc) has serious concerns about the government's foreshore and seabed framework, said Tom Lambie, President of the Federation.

"Despite claims by the government that private titles will be respected, what little detail is in the framework suggests otherwise," he said.

"This framework appears to be confiscation by stealth.

"Government ministers briefed us last week that the definition of private title would extend to the mean high tide mark. But instead the framework released today says it stops at the mean high water spring mark, which is higher up the beach," he said.

"This is bad news for the 12,000 land owners that have private title out to the mean high tide mark, who were previously not part of this debate."

But instead of the government resolving this issue, these land owners face the uncertainty of their land being shoved into the government's near-completed land access review. Farmers fear that the government will legislate access over private land.

Federated Farmers is looking for clarification on several important issues, including the government's intentions about a new impetus to recover titles to the foreshore.

Another area of concern is what will happen in the many instances of foreshore and seabed land that is privately owned due to erosion. The government proposes to examine these titles over time, to see if any action is warranted to bring them into the public domain.

"How will this happen? Will there be compensation? In many ways today's statement raises more questions than it answers.

"In effect, the government has put the erosion issue into the too hard basket," he said.

"Private property rights are sacrosanct, and that hasn't been guaranteed by this framework," he said.

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