3 December 2007
Chadwick commends cooperation over Chatham’s fire
Conservation Minister Steve Chadwick would like to commend all who contributed to bringing a fire under control on
Department of Conservation (DOC) land in the Chatham Islands.
“There has been a huge amount of collaboration over the past few days between DOC staff, the Chatham Islands Volunteer
Fire Brigade, Chatham Council including Civil Defence, and fire fighters brought in from Wellington and Northland.
“Fighting a fire of this scale on rural land is extremely hard, physical work and all involved have shown a huge amount
of commitment and have given up their time, many of them volunteers, to bring this fire under control.”
Steve Chadwick says the help and support of the National Rural Fire Authority, Helipro and Air Chathams, has also been
appreciated.
“Unfortunately 274 hectares of the Wharekauri (Greenswamp) Conservation area in the northern Chatham Islands has been
burnt, but the work of these people has contained the fire in difficult conditions.”
DOC staff are still actively monitoring the area for hot spots or other flare ups.
“This incident is a stark reminder of the risks of fire during dry conditions at this time of year, and vigilance is
required at all times.”
ENDS