15 August 2002
New Forestry Minister has friendly advice for ACT
“If the voters of New Zealand, including those of the West Coast, had wanted to relitigate the West Coast beech logging
issue, they would have voted ACT in the recent General Election.”
This was the response of newly appointed Forestry Minister Jim Sutton to a press release by Acting ACT Leader Ken
Shirley, who called on Mr Sutton to reverse the earlier decision of the Labour-led Government to end logging in
Crown-owned native forests.
“I appreciate Mr Shirley’s vote of confidence in myself, but urge him to join me in accepting the democratic decision of
the people in this matter”, Mr Sutton said.
“After all, if in the fullness of time the people come to accept that it is indeed possible to manage a proportion of
public indigenous forest for sustainable production of our unique and special timbers, without sacrificing the
environmental and social vaues of the forest, the opportunity will still be there.”
Ends