Tucked away in the upper Waiautoa Clarence River catchment, St James Station is one of Aotearoa’s most remarkable high-country pastoral landscapes. Established in 1862, and later amalgamated from a series of smaller leases, it became one of the largest sheep and cattle runs in the country. Today, the site retains rare evidence of nineteenth and twentieth century farming practices, expressed in the surviving arrangement of farm buildings, yards, archaeological sites and remnants of shelter planting.

I was engaged by the Department of Conservation to prepare a Landscape Conservation Plan for St James Station. My task was to identify the heritage values of this complex landscape, evaluate risks to its integrity, and develop conservation policies and management strategies that would guide its future care.

Understanding Significance

The station’s cultural landscape is a rare example of nineteenth- and twentieth-century high-country farming. The arrangement of farm buildings, yards, and paths, alongside features like the rabbit-proof fence, sheep dip, and remnants of early homesteads, all speak to the ingenuity and hardship of those who made a living in this remote and demanding environment.

Even the exotic trees that frame the homestead site tell part of the story. Planted as shelter against the strong alpine winds, they mark early settlement practices and remain visually tied to the historic identity of the place.

Recognising and documenting these elements is critical. Without this clarity, it becomes impossible to make good decisions about how to protect and manage the landscape into the future.

The Wilding Conifer Problem

The shelter trees, however, have brought with them an unintended legacy. Many are now at the end of their lifespan. They’re fragile, wind-damaged, and increasingly dangerous to visitors and nearby buildings. More significantly, they have become a seed source for wilding conifers, contributing to the spread of self-sown pines across the wider St James Conservation Area and downwind catchments.

This poses a real dilemma. The trees are part of the historic fabric, yet their unchecked spread is one of the greatest threats to the ecological health of this vast high-country landscape. Left unmanaged, wilding trees quickly outcompete native vegetation, alter habitats, and obscure the very values that make St James Station significant.

Finding the Balance

The Landscape Conservation Plan provides a way through this complexity. Using the ICOMOS New Zealand Charter for the Conservation of Places of Cultural Heritage Value as a guide, I developed policies and management guidelines that:

acknowledge the heritage values of the station and its associated features.
recommend the removal of wilding conifers, to protect biodiversity, visitor safety, and historic fabric.
provide clear strategies for conserving significant structures, settings, and experiential qualities of the place.
encourage adaptive use of the site for conservation, recreation, and public enjoyment.

In essence, the plan ensures that St James Station’s story continues to be told, without letting invasive species or unsafe features undermine its heritage value.

Why This Matters

Since its purchase by the Crown in 2008, St James Station has transitioned from private farmland to a conservation and recreation landscape. This shift brings opportunities for ecological restoration, public access, and cultural reconnection. But these opportunities can only be realised if decisions are made with a clear understanding of what is significant, and what changes are necessary to protect that significance.

This is the purpose of a Landscape Conservation Plan. It cuts through complexity, identifies priorities, and offers practical, defensible strategies to guide action. For St James Station, it offers a future where heritage and ecology are not in conflict, but in balance.

The St James Station Landscape Conservation Plan provides a clear framework for managing a landscape where heritage, ecology, and public use intersect. It ensures that:

heritage significance is clearly documented and protected.
conservation management aligns with national and international best practice.
vegetation management, particularly wilding conifer control, is supported by defensible heritage analysis.
the site’s transition from pastoral lease to conservation area is guided by coherent, long-term strategies.

By clarifying what’s significant, identifying risks, and providing practical management guidance, the plan enables land managers, councils, and heritage agencies to make informed decisions that safeguard both the cultural heritage and ecological values of this nationally significant landscape.