Four other bids, including one by former farm manager Jim Ward, were unsuccessful.<\/p>\n
DoC deputy director-general regional operations Henry Weston said farming would remain the core commercial activity at Molesworth, but it was also a nationally important drylands ecosystem with significant biodiversity, heritage, recreational and cultural values.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis decision ultimately came down to Ng\u0101i Tahu Farming, a wholly owned subsidiary of Te R\u016bnanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu Group, having the strongest experience of farming at scale in the high country of those who applied,\u201d Weston said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have strong financial and business foundations offering long-term security for the Crown, making them the best applicant for the opportunity to negotiate the concession.<\/p>\n
\u201cNg\u0101i Tahu Farming currently farms three high country stations, spanning 36,000ha, as part of the 100,000ha of farming and forestry land it manages across the South Island.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinal details of the farming operations will be determined through the concession process and will need to deliver on our high expectations regarding public access and weed and pest control.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoC ran a thorough process, weighed up a range of expert advice and materials, and made a decision in the best interest of Molesworth, one of New Zealand\u2019s truly special places.\u201d<\/p>\n
DoC expected public access and weed and pest control would be maintained or improved and details would emerge during the concession process.<\/p>\n
Ward told RNZ he was informed of the decision during a short phone call about an hour and a half before the announcement was made publicly on Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m absolutely gutted,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last 12 months have been a huge body of work getting it in front of people. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe are all a bit deflated at the minute, to be honest.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy wife and I put 24 years into Molesworth plus this last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was looking to the future, looking to cement Molesworth as a place for mum and dad and the kids of New Zealand, to build on what we had started.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a totally different concept \u2013 a station for the nation \u2013 making it into a charitable trust.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was quite a bold concept, but it was the right thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
DoC had not told him why his bid was not successful.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m still pretty numb, but the decision\u2019s been made, and I\u2019ll just have to go find myself something else to do,\u201d Ward said.<\/p>\n
Te R\u016bnanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu welcomed the news.<\/p>\n
Chief executive Ben Bateman said DoC\u2019s decision reflected the iwi\u2019s proven capability in farming, conservation and commercial management.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are committed to making sure the terms of any concession we negotiate are good for all New Zealanders,\u201d Bateman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPublic access, biodiversity and ecological stewardship are central to how we would manage Rangitahi Molesworth.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor us, Rangitahi is not simply a farming opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is an ancestral landscape woven into the whakapapa of Ng\u0101i Tahu, Ng\u0101ti Kur\u012b, Ng\u0101ti M\u0101moe and Waitaha.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be entrusted with its stewardship is a responsibility we approach with humility and determination.\u201d<\/p>\n
Te R\u016bnanga o Kaik\u014dura chairwoman Hariata Kahu said it was an important milestone for her hap\u016b, Ng\u0101ti Kur\u012b.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor many generations we have longed to play a more active role in protecting Rangitahi Molesworth,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrowing up, we learn the p\u016br\u0101kau of Rangitahi and the journeys our people made through this landscape.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Awatere and Waiautoa rivers are part of those stories, and even the name Rangitahi speaks to the coming together of those waters.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo know that if we are granted a concession we would have the opportunity to help care for this whenua is incredibly significant.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor Ng\u0101ti Kur\u012b, this is about ensuring future generations can experience Rangitahi, much like our ancestors did, with its landscapes and stories protected.\u201d<\/p>\n
The iwi would now work through the details of its concession application.<\/p>\n
Federated Farmers president Colin Hurst said he welcomed the clarity DoC\u2019s decision provided.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Department of Conservation has run a really robust, competitive and fair process to get to this point,\u201d Hurst said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe congratulate Ng\u0101i Tahu Farming on putting forward a strong business case and being selected as the preferred operator to negotiate for the lease.<\/p>\n
\u201cMolesworth is an incredibly special property for all New Zealanders, owned by all New Zealanders, so it\u2019s important whoever takes on the lease is well set up to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ng\u0101i Tahu Farming had the experience and financial resilience to farm a property like Molesworth Station, Hurst said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNg\u0101i Tahu Farming has a strong balance sheet that would allow them to keep farming through tough years with drought or poor commodity prices.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s also well placed to run an integrated system with existing finishing farms around North Canterbury \u2013 so the decision makes sense from that perspective.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere also needs to be clear expectations set that public access to Molesworth is protected and that there is a commitment to active weed and pest management.\u201d<\/p>\n
– RNZ<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Four other bids, including one by former farm manager Jim Ward, were unsuccessful. DoC deputy director-general regional operations…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":556687,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[13083,3233,14934,19136,183790,117,111,43,139,98615,69,18442,13655,98616,61,2963],"class_list":["post-556686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-chosen","tag-farm","tag-farming","tag-largest","tag-molesworth","tag-new","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-ngi","tag-nz","tag-operate","tag-station","tag-tahu","tag-to","tag-zealands"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/556686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=556686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/556686\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/556687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=556686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=556686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=556686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}