Pastoral high country : proposed tenure changes and the public interest : a case study

Abstract

This study was undertaken in response to the report of the Clayton Committee and the findings of the trial assessments. Its goal is to investigate the public interest in relation to present and proposed future tenure of the South Island pastoral hill and high country (hereafter referred to as high country). By focussing on the public interest, we are able to encompass within a unifying framework, a diverse range of the issues raised by the Clayton Report and the subsequent public debate.

The concept helps us to discuss the values held by society with respect to the high country and the way in which these have been accommodated in the recent recommendations as to tenure.

Chapter Two provides background on the characteristics of the resource and the history of the relationship between land use and tenure in the high country. Chapter Three discusses the implications of the present tenure system and the proposed tenure changes with respect to the major present and potential land uses of the high country. Chapter Four investigates the concept of the public interest, beginning with a critical review of approaches to the public interest, then developing our own approach in terms of procedural democracy. Chapter Five applies our approach to the public interest to the recommendations of the Clayton Committee and the role of the Land Settlement Board in the light of our understanding of the implications of the proposed changes of tenure.