Forgotten Lands Campaign of the Federated Mountain Clubs (FMC)

A look at three of the current FMC projects....

The FMC or Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand is an umbrella organisation which advocates for outdoor users in New Zealand. They consist of almost every tramping club as well as the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association (NZDA) and various other fishing, MTB, 4 W/D, walking, kayaking, caving and canyoning groups. 

Logo of the Federated Mountain Clubs (FMC)

The FMC also have over 30 000 individual members (...including Jon...) so they really are the voice of the outdoor community here in Kiwiland. I thought it might be useful to look at three of the most exciting and interesting of the projects the FMC is currently working on. All of these projects are centered around the huge areas of land controlled by DOC but which are undesignated at this time.

What to do with Stewardship Land?

When the Department of Conservation was set up in 1987 most of the land managed by the Crown was placed under their control. Much of the land had been previously designated as National Parks, Forest Parks, Scenic Reserves and Conservation Areas but there was also a lot of land with no legal standing. These areas with lesser/no control are known as Stewardship Land. 

The land surrounding Lake Kaniere is all Stewardship Land

This Stewardship Land was meant to be designated as something else within 10 years of the establishment of DOC but there has been little political will to do so. A lot of this land has resources like water, timber or minerals on it which various enterprises would like to exploit. Designating it would also cost the country as DOC would require additional resources to manage it. 

Around 33% of the DOC estate is Stewardship Land

The FMC has turned a focus on these 'Forgotten Lands' as demands to use them have increased over the years. There have been several large mines built on Stewardship Land as well as over 15 proposals to build new hydro/irrigation dams, new roads and requests to exploit virgin forests for timber. 

An FMC Forgotten Lands poster.....

One of the assumed roles of the FMC is advocacy for this land so they have a number of ongoing projects to have the land legally protected under the overall umbrella of the Forgotten Lands Campaign. This campaign is meant to bring public attention onto these areas and hopefully to kick start some sort of process for designating them. 

Three current FMC projects:

Here are three of the current projects being pursued by the FMC. These are the recognition of new Wilderness Areas, the proposed Remarkable National Park and proposed Wild Rivers Park.

Recognition of Wilderness Areas:

The FMC has a long term project to campaign for more Wilderness Areas around the country. A Wilderness Area is a special type of backcountry experience...it will be remote from civilisation and will have zero to very minimal human impact on it. There will be no huts, bridges, tracks or roads and access by vehicle or aircraft is generally prohibited. These are meant as true wilderness places where outdoor explorers can meet nature very much on its terms.

Tasman Wilderness Area lies to the south of the Heaphy Track

There are several existent Wilderness Areas around the country with good examples being the Olivine Wilderness in Fiordland and the Tasman Wilderness Area in Kahurangi NP. Some of these have been in existence since the 1970's while others are more recent. FMC and a number of other organisation's would like to increase the number of Wilderness Areas around the country including in some Stewardship Land areas.

Map of the Olivine Wilderness area in Fiordland

There are a number of suggestions for new areas...in the Kaimanawa-Kaweka Forests, Garvie Range in Central Otago, Preservation/Waitutu in Fiordland and Pegasus in the south of Rakiura/Stewart Island. The only one which currently has traction is Pegasus/Southern Wilderness Area as it is easily the most remote place in New Zealand with no habitation, tracks or hut network at all. It was supposed to be gazetted as a Wilderness Area in 2015...this has still not happened but the process is ongoing. 

View south from the Tin Range, Rakiura/Stewart Island

The Garvie Range is likely to become a part of the proposed Remarkable National Park while both the Kaimanawa/Kaweka and Waitutu proposals have faced criticism from some groups who would still like to be able to fly into these areas. They may all eventually become Wilderness Areas but for the moment they are stuck in limbo. 

There are many seldom visited areas in the Kaimanawa Ranges....

 

We still need truly wild places to escape from the stresses and strife of modern life. The FMC will continue to advocate for Wilderness Areas going forward as they are a very special and necessary part of the backcountry experience. 

Remarkable's National Park:

The FMC in conjunction with various other groups are advocating for the creation of a new National Park in the Remarkable Range just outside Queenstown. The proposed Remarkables National Park would encompass more than just the Remarkable Range and would also take in the Garvie, Hector, Old Man, Old Woman and areas of the Eyre Mountain Ranges. This is an area of great scenic, cultural and environmental value which currently has little to no protection. 

The Remarkable Range, Central Otago

The area is currently administered by DOC but largely has limited official designation so it is vulnerable to exploitation for farming, ski fields, forestry and mineral mining. What the FMC would like is to make it a National Park therefore protecting it for the future. It would be a great compliment to other local National Parks such as Aoraki/Mt Cook, Mt Aspiring and Fiordland NP. 

Rock formation in the Garvie Range, Central Otago

There is a lot of support for developing a National Park in the area with the Department of Conservation, local MP's, Lakes District Council and Queenstown Council all advocating for it. They are currently working on a proposal to be forwarded to the Government at which point is can be considered by a working party who will decide if the idea has merit. A National Park requires an Act of Parliament to go ahead so that is ultimately where this project is heading. 

Lake Wakatipu from the Hector Mountains

I can actually see this project succeeding...all of the interest parties like the idea and will apply pressure on successive governments for it to go ahead. We have not gazetted a new National Park in New Zealand since Rakuira back in the 1990's and this is an area which clearly could do with protection. It takes a long time to get a new park approved but at least it is moving along at pace and in the right direction. 

Tussocklands atop the Old Man Range, Central Otago

I hope this one succeeds as the opportunities for outdoor adventures would be immense...

Wild Rivers Park:

There is a mass of DOC land between Paparoa NP and Fiordland NP which has no official designation at all. This Stewardship Land was supposed to have been designated a long time ago but successive governments since the 1980's have lacked the will, interest or motivation to do anything about it. It contains some of the finest un-blemished wild rivers and rugged backcountry areas in the country and is very vulnerable at this time.

There are large tracts of Stewardship Land on the West Coast

The main dangers are from unrestricted mining and the development of hydro electric dams in this area. The West Coast of the South Island is rich in timber and minerals including coal, iron sands, oil, gold and trace elements. All of these have potential markets overseas so there is great interest in exploiting them.

Stockton Open Cast Mine is on Stewardship Land on the West Coast

 The area is also rich in large river catchments which make ideal locations for hydro electric schemes. There are corporations and groups who want to exploit these resources regardless of the ecological and environmental value of the land. 

Arahura River, West Coast of the South Island

A group of interested parties including DOC, the local Regional Councils and the FMC are proposing a new park to protect these areas. Wild Rivers Park would encompass land from the Otira/Taramakau Rivers south to near Haast and would contain many of the iconic West Coast catchments including the Styx/Arahura/Hokitika/Toroha/Whitcombe/Waitaha/Wanganui/Copland/Karangahua/Landsborough and the Haast. 

Hokitika Gorge would be part of the Wild Rivers Park...

The Kokatahi River is also in the proposed Wild Rivers Park

It would also give greater protection to the inland lakes along the coast and some of the lowland swamp forests around the mountain fringes. Many of these are already scenic reserves which have less protected status than a Forest Park or National Park. It would achieve the long term goal of a contiguous protected land corridor all the way from Kahurangi in the north right down to Fiordland and Rakuira/Stewart Island.

 

Lake Kaniere would be in Wild Rivers Park

It is a bold and exciting project but there is serious opposition from many vested interest groups so while I ultimately think this proposal will go ahead I don't see it happening in the near future. What may happen is that parcels of land and river valleys will be added to existing National Parks, Forest Parks and Scenic Reserves. These areas really need protection as there are constant demands to use these rivers and they need to be protected before they are degraded.  

How to find Stewardship Land details....

So there are three of the projects the FMC is working on...there are many more but this is a good representation of the work they do. You should consider how you can help to achieve these worthwhile projects...become an individual member of the FMC or donate time, expertise or money to help them protect our natural treasures. 

Update May 2022: 

A group of interested people including DOC, local Iwi, land owners, regional councils and businesses are currently reviewing the status of Stewardship lands in the South Island. They are expected to release some findings by the end of 2022 with movement to re-classify some/all of the land before the end of 2023.