Forest & Bird Dishonest Over Tenure Review
Thursday 4 Dec 2003 Gerry Eckhoff Press Releases -- Rural
The Forest & Bird Society is being dishonest in the extreme with its comments over tenure review of pastoral lands in the South
Island high country, ACT New Zealand Rural Affairs Spokesman Gerry Eckhoff said today.
"Forest & Bird refers to 35 kilometres of Lake Wänaka frontage being privatised through tenure review. For all intents and
purposes, the land is already privatised. The lessee has exclusive use and full rights of the laws of trespass to
exclude anyone they choose," Mr Eckhoff said.
"The society's unprincipled comments on tenure review will only serve to harden the resolve of the high country's
community against this extremist element of the conservation lobby.
"Forest & Bird fully supported tenure review - until it realised that some farmers might actually benefit from the process.
"Over two million hectares of high altitude land will go in this public estate, with access rights locked in. All water
bodies will also have a marginal strip imposed to guarantee public access and enjoyment of this area.
"Pastoral leases in the high country are not a playground for Forest & Bird executive members, despite their best attempts to turn it into one," 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.