St James Station is a former high country sheep and cattle

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

in the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

of New Zealand. It was renowned for its horse sales and covered an area of . It is now referred to as the St James Conservation Area and is managed by the

Department of Conservation Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

. The station was purchased for $40 million by the government in 2008 using funds from the

Nature Heritage Fund The Nature Heritage Fund is a funding body of the New Zealand Government set up in 1990 for the purchase of land which has significant ecological or landscape value. It is administered by the Department of Conservation, but controlled by the Min ...

, as well as from

Land Information New Zealand Land Information New Zealand (LINZ; ) is the public service department of New Zealand charged with geographical information and surveying functions as well as handling land titles, and managing Crown land and property. The minister responsible ...

. It had been owned by the Stevenson family since 1927. The government's purchase was a means of protection from

intensive farming Intensive agriculture, also known as intensive farming (as opposed to extensive farming), conventional, or industrial agriculture, is a type of agriculture, both of arable farming, crop plants and of Animal husbandry, animals, with higher levels ...

and development as well as guaranteeing public access. The St James Walkway is a popular tramping track that passes through the area. The

New Zealand Cycle Trail The New Zealand Cycle Trail project (Māori language, Māori: ''Nga Haerenga'', "The Journeys") is a New Zealand government initiative, co-funded together with Territorial authorities of New Zealand, local councils and charitable trusts, which ...

, announced by the Prime Minister as a boost for the economy, received funding for a St James Cycle Trail, which traverses part of the station.

References

External links

St James Conservation Area
at the Department of Conservation
St James Conservation Area
– visitor brochure from the Department of Conservation Geography of the Canterbury Region High Country stations Protected areas of the Canterbury Region Cycleways in New Zealand {{CanterburyNZ-geo-stub

See also

References

External links