Crown Contracts Are Worthless
Tuesday 19 Aug 2003 Gerry Eckhoff Press Releases -- Rural
Land Information Minister John Tamihere's announcement of new Government objectives during the Tenure Review of the
South Island high country is just another example of why contracts with the Crown are worthless, ACT New Zealand Rural
Affairs Spokesman Gerry Eckhoff said today.
"High country farmers seeking to freehold their land will be dismayed at further changes to the rules, to suit the
avarice of some executive members of Forest and Bird. They seek nothing short of clearance of traditional farming
practise from the high country," Mr Eckhoff said.
"The removal of stock from the high country will lead to increased utrification of waterways - due to the
intensification of carrying capacity, and extensive use of nitrogen-based fertilisers and superphosphate, to compensate
for the loss of higher altitude land.
"The Labour Government also seeks to financially cripple those who wish to remain under a pastoral lease. The demand of
the `commercial' return for this part-Crown asset could well be an impossible burden as the RMA constrains a farmer's
ability to seek a living from the land just to pay the increased rent.
"To add insult to injury, the Government is moving to force farmers to accept public access to their remaining private
land," Mr Eckhoff said.
ENDS
For more information visit ACT online at http://www.act.org.nz or contact the ACT Parliamentary Office at
act@parliament.govt.nz.