I note that the Crown purchased the high country from Ngāi Tahu in the 1840s and 1850s, in the time of early European settlement. By the time of purchase, extensive deforestation had already occurred due to earlier fires, and with the exception of high-altitude tussock areas, the vast majority of the land remained impenetrable and unsuitable for even minimal pastoralism. Some hardy folk made this their home and worked the land, but over a period of time it became clear that the existing framework did not work effectively and there was, in effect, a race to the bottom as a number of farmers sought to exploit the land, in effect. This led to some serious environmental problems that the Governments of the day recognised and it led to the Land Act of 1948 some 73 years ago that formed this contractual relationship that is being changed today by this Government.