Summarised by Centrist

A proposal to turn Molesworth Station into a charitable “station for the nation” has been rejected, with the Department of Conservation selecting Ngāi Tahu Farming as its preferred operator of New Zealand’s largest farm.

Former Molesworth manager Jim Ward, who spent 24 years at the 180,000-hectare Crown-owned property, was among four unsuccessful applicants. His proposal sought to run the station through a charitable trust for the benefit of New Zealand families.

“It was quite a bold concept, but it was the right thing to do,” Ward said.

Ward said DoC had not explained why his bid failed. He was informed during a short phone call about 90 minutes before the decision was announced on Friday afternoon.

“I’m absolutely gutted,” he said. “My wife and I put 24 years into Molesworth plus this last year.”

Ngāi Tahu Farming manages about 100,000 hectares of farming and forestry land across the South Island, including three high-country stations.

Chief executive Ben Bateman said the iwi would seek terms that were “good for all New Zealanders”, with public access, biodiversity and ecological stewardship central to its approach.

Ngāi Tahu has not yet been formally appointed as operator. It has been invited to negotiate and apply for the concession, with farming conditions, public access and weed and pest-control requirements still to be determined.

Molesworth remains Crown-owned conservation land administered by DoC.

Editor’s note: DoC said Ngāi Tahu Farming had the “strongest experience of farming at scale in the high country” and the financial strength to provide long-term security for the Crown.

DoC has published the criteria used to assess the five bids, but despite the broad praise for Ngāi Tahu, they have not released the completed scores, tender prices or a detailed comparison showing why the iwi’s proposal ranked ahead of the others.

Read more over at The NZ Herald

_{Image: Dirk Pons – Own work, CC BY 4.0}

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