Two years after a group of Maniototo farmers won a legal battle to retain access to summer grazing blocks, Land Information New Zealand has called for public submissions on the original proposal.
In 2007, Land Information New Zealand (Linz) was forced to back down on a proposal to designate the Soldiers Syndicate grazing licence in the Ida Range a conservation area, having earlier told the syndicate shareholders their grazing licence would be renewed.
A year later, the High Court at Christchurch ruled that Linz should revise its preliminary proposal to designate the 4450ha of land a special grazing lease, and that has now been publicly notified.
Counsel for the syndicate, Kit Mouat, said the ruling meant Linz could not change the rules as it had done by telling syndicate shareholders they would have their licence renewed, but then changing the land's designation from grazing to conservation.
While delighted the process was finally progressing, Mr Mouat said public submissions should not substantively change the grazing licence designation.
The syndicate still has proceedings lodged with the court which he said could be activated if "something untoward" happened.
The Maniototo farmers have, since 1920, been able to graze stock over summer on the mountain range, a practice the licence holders say is crucial to the viability of their lowland farms.
The group's occupation licence expired in December 2003 and since then the syndicate has been granted short-term grazing rights while the Commissioner of Crown Lands reviewed the status of the land.
Linz pastoral manager Mathew Clark said in a statement that no final decision would be made on the proposal to dispose of the land by special lease until after public submissions had been considered, further consultation undertaken and a substantive proposal adopted by the Commissioner of Crown Lands.
Mr Clark said the process being followed was consistent with the High Court ruling that the preliminary proposal should reflect the commissioner's initial decision to dispose of the land as a special grazing licence.
He could not speculate on the outcome until the process was complete.
December 1 has been set down for a High Court hearing in Dunedin into a Linz decision to redesignate the neighbouring 8400ha Mt Ida Syndicate block a conservation area. This land has been run by a syndicate of shareholders since 1901.
While shares have changed hands, they are still held by descendants of the original shareholders.