New Zealand Four Wheel Drive Association Inc.

http://www.doc.govt.nz/templates/page.aspx?id=46394

Who can make contributions?

Anyone! We want to hear from as many people as possible who have an interest in how DOC manages public conservation land in Canterbury before we produce the draft CMS. After all, we are managing conservation for all New Zealanders!

 August update from DOC

First, many thanks for the feedback; over 50 responses have been received. The responses have been wide-ranging in the nature of your interests and organisations, and in your identified important issues and places. Your responses do seem to have come from a wider cross-section of the community than previous Conservancy planning processes; maybe that is the power of the internet.

No management issues or places previously unknown to us were identified, but your concerns were clear. I will be grouping  your feedback forms into common issues and/or places (some will fit into several groups) and will provide them to the authors for the various chapters/sections of the CMS.

Two points to clarify:

• This feedback stage is informal and non-statutory; a means of letting you into the CMS review process before the stage of the formal/statutory draft CMS and its submissions and hearings processes (all early to mid 2009).
• There will be no hearings for the feedback information you have provided, but see below.

Where to from here?

• I have extended the initial feedback date until late August, by which time the additional process below will be well underway.
• Department staff are working on the CMS Part One (Management objectives and policies) chapters as listed in the Conservancy overview, and working on the draft Place sections, both chapters and sections as listed on the canterburycms web page. Completion dates for initial draft text is the end of September.
• From late August, these 'initial draft' sections will start to be posted on the web site for further informal comment. Some sections I am anticipating that certain groups will want to discuss with the Department; this process has already started.
• Some issues will require more structured workshops between Department staff and public interest groups; one of these will be for off-road vehicles (motorised and mountain bikes) and planning for this will happen very soon.

One slight disadvantage of public involvement early in the process is that the cross-connections between different parts of the CMS are not always clear and getting the whole CMS picture can be difficult. For example, when considering some of the place sections (e.g. Conservation and Forest Parks) and that within those there is a cross-reference to the management objectives and policies chapters (e.g. 1.3.1 Terrestrial and Freshwater Ecosystems, Habitats and Species). I ask that you bear with us on this as the whole CMS process is very fluid; with many staff involved then many factors influence when draft parts of the CMS become available, but in the end it does all come together. It is your call on when and with what parts of the CMS you provide comment on.

So, thanks again, keep an eye on the web page, let others know that they can still send in feedback forms, and call or email me if you have any questions or you would like to meet.

Poma Palmer

There is a background Powerpoint presentation (visual only) on this CMS review, available on the NZFWDA forum and found under "Reference"

 Part of the  CMS review process is the identification of "Places" that have special characteristics.  These areas have their own sections within the CMS. A proposed list can be downloaded from the web page below. There are several other documents available too.

It is important to four wheeling that the wording covering the 'Places' does not deny 4x4 recreation. Watch the DOC website carefully for updates.

www.doc.govt.nz/templates/page.aspx?id=46394