Big changes ahead for high country icon

Tenders are due to close soon for those wanting to farm Molesworth commercially for up to 30 years, and one thing is certain – proposals involving exotic forestry, deer farming, safari parks and water abstraction will not be considered.

That’s the word from Department of Conservation, which says it expects farming ‘to be the primary activity’ occurring on the massive, iconic high country station.

It also says proposals must not only maintain existing public access, but allow greater opportunities for public recreation.

Long-time former manager Jim Ward has proposed that it be run as a not-for-profit operation, with heritage protection, in effect a ‘station for the nation’.

As well as approximately 5000 cattle currently run there, Molesworth is a much-loved outdoor recreational area for people from all over NZ.

DOC says there is ‘considerable demand’ for enhanced access to Molesworth, including year-round road access, from hunting, fishing and recreational communities as well as from individuals.

Twenty-six concessions are currently granted for guided recreational activities such as walking, cycling/mountain biking, horse riding, 4WD, fishing and non-motorised boating activities on the Clarence and Acheron Rivers.

Other concessions include four research and collection permits, three for telecommunications and earthquake monitoring, two line easements (including a national grid power line) and three aircraft landing permits.

“We’re looking for an experienced high country stock farm operator to take on the day-to-day running of Molesworth Recreation Reserve,” says DOC South Marlborough operations manager Stacey Wrenn.

“We’ll be assessing proposals across a range of criteria, including the operator’s experience, skills and resources, how biodiversity and heritage values will be protected, and how public access will be improved and facilitated.”

Commercially-focussed tourism opportunities like guiding or use of existing buildings for short-stay accommodation to run alongside the farming operation will also be considered, as long as they align with the purpose of the reserve.

At 180,787 ha, Molesworth is slightly larger than Stewart Island and larger than 10 of NZ’s 13 national parks.

The station has been leased by Landcorp since the 1980s, but the current agreement expires 30 June 2026.

Tenders close 20 March.