Rangitata River esplanade strip
Photo by Geoff Holgate

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7 km of new fishing at Rangitata

Published 30 November 2022

Keen anglers have 7 km of new fishing opportunities on the Rangitata River. Thanks to a new stretch of public access along the river, salmon and trout are more accessible.

Through Herenga ā Nuku’s advice to the Overseas Investment Office on an overseas investment consent, we have helped to secure a 7km long esplanade strip alongside the true left of Rangitata River. We secured two access strips to the river, totalling approximately 800m in length. We also advocated that the new owner build a carpark for anglers travelling to the river.

In 2014, the Overseas Investment Office sought Herenga ā Nuku’s advice on the sale of Cumberland Dairy Farm. The farm is 50km from Ashburton and 30km upstream from Rangitata Bridge.

Rangitata River is popular with anglers. It offers some of the best salmon fishing in New Zealand and supports good stocks of brown and rainbow trout.

Our regional field advisor inspected the property and consulted with the Department of Conservation and Central South Island Fish & Game. Based on that, we recommended public access conditions attach to the land so that anglers could have better access to the river.

Since then, we have been supporting the landowners in implementing those recommendations. The new owners and their land manager have supported the consenting process and have implemented all the requirements of the consent. The process was delayed significantly while registering the esplanade and access strips, but now it is all complete.

Before the land sale, there was no legal right of public access along the river beside the property, except for access along the Rangitata Gorge Conservation Area. The property boundary runs more than 7km along the river, giving anglers a multitude of new spots to fish.

Because the access mostly benefits anglers, Fish & Game has agreed to form practical access to the river, as required.

Visit our maps to locate the public access and other public access along the Rangitata River.