Hunters mixing with other recreational users of a conservation estate is a recipe for disaster, says a neighbouring property owner who fears a fatality will be the result.
"It's a fiasco. It's just crazy to have that combination all together. The two don't mix,'' Mt Pisa Station owner Murray MacMillan said this week.
"I've got nothing against hunting, it's just a safety issue. Hunters could encounter trampers or bikers or even staff from the station because we share 15km of boundary with them,'' Mr MacMillan said.
"The other people using the land don't know hunters might be around ... a fatality's certainly on the cards.''
He felt so strongly about the issue, for a while he locked the gate through his property which allowed public access to the Pisa Conservation Area between Lowburn and Queensberry.
He unlocked it after being threatened with legal action by the Department of Conservation, which manages the conservation area.
Talks between the station owners and Doc staff about hunting being allowed on the conservation area were "going nowhere'' so he decided to go public with his concerns.
Mr MacMillan (72) served 21 years on the Cromwell Community Board, stepping down at the last election, and also served two terms as a Central Otago District councillor.
Mt Pisa Station had been in his family's hands for 92 years.
After going through the tenure review process 10 years ago, about half the property, 4000ha of high country, was handed over to form part of the conservation area, he said.
"There was no mention of hunting on the conservation land at that time,'' Mr MacMillan said.
Doc Central Otago district operations manager Mike Tubbs said Doc staff would meet the MacMillans in August to discuss the issue.
The public access easement through the station did not provide 4WD access or access for hunters, only access for walkers and mountain bikers.
Hunters had been permitted on the conservation area for the past 18 months.
"The permit system was introduced to enable lawful recreational hunting to take place within the 23,000ha conservation area,'' Mr Tubbs said.
There was no limit on the number of hunting permits issued for the area, aside from during "the roar''.
Asked whether recreational users of the conservation area or station staff were are at risk from allowing hunting on the conservation land, Mr Tubbs said: "Responsible recreational hunting is compatible with other recreational activities on public conservation lands.''
Mr MacMillan said Doc "refused to put warning signs up saying hunters could be in the area'', to improve safety.
"You'd think that would be a starting point at least.''
Mr Tubbs said Doc did not think additional signs were necessary.
Locking the gate was illegal and Doc was committed to maintaining legal public access to the conservation area along the Mt Pisa easement.
The easement was part of the tenure review outcomes.
