Wildside - Access across Private Land

Landowners open to access
 

© Zane Mirfin, Wildside Column, Landowners open to access, Nelson Mail, 18 July 2009

River view: Zane Mirfin at Little Grey Bridge near Ikamatua.

Access to fishing and hunting resources has always been a hot topic.

Fortunately, in New Zealand we are surrounded by ocean, rivers and mountains which are mostly accessible to all. With about one-third of the land mass managed by government agencies, public access for fishing and hunting is good by international standards.

Practical access to public lands, however, is still not without problems. For example, the 111 government-owned Landcorp properties scattered throughout New Zealand are arguably some of the most difficult for the public to access.

Some of the best outdoor access in New Zealand is available through private land once permission has been given by private owners. I’ve always believed that private property rights are sancrosanct and owners must always have the absolute right to say who is able to be on their land. Many landowners are incredibly generous and I regularly marvel at the generosity and assistance of private landowners in allowing access across their properties to rivers, beaches and other public places.

Last week, we were away on a late season duck-hunting trip in Canterbury where I was humbled by the many fantastic landowners who welcomed us on to their properties, helped us access the river and gave freely of their local knowledge and goodwill.

One farming lady, with her charming and vivacious personality, capped off a great day as she chatted on the riverbank, sharing in our hunting success.

One landowner arranged access through his neighbour’s property, while another farmer worked with our topographical maps to work out the best way to access a duckcamp we had located. We appreciated the time, energy and opportunities these people put into the success of our hunting trip.

While we each shot plenty of ducks, the highlight for me was the great people we met.

I’ve always been impressed, that in most cases, a polite and reasonable request for access will usually be granted. With opportunity, though, comes responsibility to the landowner because access is always a privilege, not a right. Always obey the house rules and instructions and try hard to be a model guest as others may follow in your footsteps.

Never take access for granted and never go back so many times that you wear out your welcome.

Access changes over time as properties sell, managers move on and owners need to develop access strategies that are relevant to their properties. Recreational people should always take a refusal for access with good grace. Landowners may not be able to allow access but may suggest you try again after lambing, or direct you to a legal road where access to a river is possible. The local knowledge of landowners can be valuable and we are lucky New Zealand landowners are so friendly and reasonable to the recreational public.

In my family line, access has always been an important topic. Being a sixth generation Nelsonian, my mother’s family’s connection here began with Thomas and Anne Hill stepping off the sailing ship Thomas Harrison in Port Nelson in October 1842.

Hunting and fishing were tough pursuits in the old Britain, being the realm of the wealthy and privileged, but with the advent of local acclimatisation societies, fish and game species were introduced throughout the country so all new residents would soon be able to hunt and fish for the price of a common licence fee – a radical concept in its time.

On the same boat out was my great-great grandfather on my father’s side of the family. Captain John Walker must have been quite a character, being on first name terms with many of New Zealand’s early explorers and surveyors. His cutter, the Supply, regularly dropped off such passengers around the northern South Island.

Captain Walker’s achievements included being the first European to successfully navigate the treacherous Buller River bar in a sailing ship when he landed surveyors John and James Rochfort ashore in 1859.

The personal effects of Captain Walker are now on permanent display at the Nelson Provincial Museum – something I enjoy every time I visit the museum with my family.

While Walker didn’t require access permission for most of his landings, his family wasn’t above stopping others having access when it didn’t suit. Brother George Walker won the tender to build a road through the Warwick Saddle between the Matakitaki and Maruia rivers. When the job was completed in 1864, the Nelson Provincial Government was so impoverished it could not pay but gave Maruia land and an extensive grazing lease in lieu of money. The Walkers ran the
upper Maruia River (between modern-day Murchison and Springs Junction) like a feudal kingdom in the years up to the World War 1 and bought up strategic blocks to stop others farming there – a process known as ‘‘gridironing’’. They even had a chain of properties down the Buller and Grey rivers to move their cattle to market. The Walker luck ran out,
however, when about 1920, the government of the day requisitioned all the Maruia land, forcing the Walker’s to sell so land could be allocated to returning soldiers.

William Craven Mirfin Sr gained access and ownership of his prime land in a most innovative way, too. Extensive diary notes show that he was a good friend of explorer Thomas Brunner (1821-1874). On Brunner’s advice and previous exploration knowledge, Mirfin put in a claim for the first Mirfin farm cradled between the Rough, Little Grey and Big Grey rivers, near modern day Ikamatua. When Mirfin was named as roading engineer to build a road down the north side of the Grey, his land claim was rapidly processed. Then as now, who you know mattered. William Craven Mirfin Jr later married Captain Walker’s daughter, Sarah, and took over responsibility for the farm.

This same land was later farmed by my grandfather, Ash Mirfin, and his brothers Bryce and George. Roughly hewn out of the West Coast bush by axe, saw and fire, the Rough River block teemed with fallow deer in the days long before 1080 poison.

My father, his brother and their cousins were always wanting their fathers to limit hunting access to family only but the older Mirfins said no, always allowing access to anyone who asked. In hindsight, it turned out to be an excellent access policy, with no-one able to remember any problems resulting from open access. In fact, decades later, fishing and hunting access is still pretty good around Ikamatua for those willing and able to make a polite and reasonable request.

If you read the papers and listen to the TV news too much you could mistakenly believe that access to the outdoors has become a real problem. Of recent years, though, I’ve become heartened about the quality of access throughout New Zealand and believe we really should be thankful that private landowners are such reasonable and decent people. It’s the bureaucrats who control public lands we really need to watch out for.

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