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Soil conservation and rivers control reserves

The Ministry for the Environment holds a number of parcels of land taken under the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Act 1941 for river control purposes prior to 1987.These lands generally form part of a stopbank or are designated as a flood fairway or ponding area.

The Ministry is also the land-holding department for a small number of Soil Conservation Reserves taken under section 16 of the Act. Regional councils undertake the day-to-day management of the soil conservation reserves and those lands taken for flood protection works which remain in Crown ownership. The exception is the Mid Dome property, which was acquired under the Reserves Act and is managed by the Ministry.

Soil conservation reserves taken under section 16 of the Act are Wharekiri and Waerenga-o-kuri in Gisborne, Tangoio near Napier, and Wither Hills adjacent to Blenheim.

Mid Dome reserve

The former Mid Dome Soil Conservation Reserve is on the Invercargill to Queenstown state highway (SH6) between Kingston and Lumsden. The Ministry for the Environment manages the Mid Dome Reserve on behalf of the Crown. The spread of wilding trees in the Cupola / Dome region is major issue of concern to the Ministry as owner and to adjacent landowners.

The predominant seed sources of concern are Pinus contorta, P. mugo and corsican pine. These and other species were planted on and around the scree slips high up in the Red Duster and Blue Peter sub catchments of the reserve in the 1960s and 1970s to control erosion.

Around 13,000 hectares in the district are now affected (mostly by scattered outliers) with the main concentration of trees around the Mid Dome property that the Ministry manages.

A Mid Dome Wilding Trees Management Group (representing high country farmers, Environment Southland, Department of Conservation and Forest and Bird) has recommended the total removal of the planted (seed source) and wilding trees from Mid Dome property.

For more information on the organisations in the Mid Dome Wilding Trees Management Group visit their websites:

Last updated: 17 September 2007