Farming and local body leaders in the Omarama and Mackenzie basins are cautiously positive about a trust being set up by Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean to determine the future of the areas.
Mrs Dean announced the Mackenzie Sustainable Futures Trust last weekend as a collaborative approach to resolve "real pressures and tensions" over the future of the areas by developing a shared vision for the future.
A broad outline of the trust was given by Mrs Dean, who said she would be "working hard" during this month to finalise its terms of reference in collaboration with parties who had an interest in the areas.
It is those details that Federated Farmers, Mackenzie Mayor Claire Barlow and Waitaki Mayor Alex Familton want to see.
Federated Farmers national vice-president Donald Aubrey was aware of the proposal for a trust, but agreed with comments made by Minister for the Environment Nick Smith in November it had to be a locally driven process.
"I believe the farming community in that area is prepared to engage in that dialogue and to that end Federated Farmers will consider its support.
Together with the local community, we are prepared to get involved," Mr Aubrey said when contacted yesterday.
It was not clear what legal standing and level of influence the trust would have, but Mr Aubrey expected that was still to be clarified.
North Otago Federated Farmers high country representative Simon Williamson said the trust needed to be "performance-based".
If public money was going to be spent, there needed to be results.
Farmers in the area would definitely be looking to be involved, with backing from the national board.
"It's important everyone be involved, but we also need to have some good ground rules around it.
Property rights, in particular, need to be recognised," he said.
Mr Familton was "well aware" of the proposal for a trust and said his council would want to be involved.
"It's a constructive effort to resolve issues.
"Our main focus is to come up with - and I think the trust is consistent with this - a local system that avoids court actions.
"The difficulty at present is too much potential for adversarial action and not enough for conciliation," he said.
Mrs Barlow said she, personally, was sympathetic to a collaborative approach providing security in the decision-making process, but her council did not have enough information about what the trust would achieve, its purpose and if it would duplicate things already being dealt with through the Mackenzie district plan.
She emphasised any process had to be driven by local people.
