Rt Hon Winston Peters
New Zealand First Leader
Member of Parliament for Northland
15 MARCH 2017

New Zealand First Confirms Opposition to 1080

New Zealand First has reconfirmed its commitment to ending the use of 1080 poison in New Zealand.

New Zealand First Leader and MP for Northland, Rt Hon Winston Peters, says New Zealand First is the only credible Party committed to ending 1080 use, and the only party with a plan to replace it.

“New Zealand First is fully committed to completely ending the use of 1080 in New Zealand as soon as is possible, and doing so without compromising our pest control requirements.

“On gaining office we will:

1. Immediately provide adequate resourcing for, and initiate, trapping and other ground-based measures for pest control, in all areas where this is known to be feasible.

2. Immediately allocate adequate resourcing, and initiate proper and urgent research, into alternatives to 1080.

3. Before any further aerial application of 1080 is permitted to be undertaken, resource and initiate comprehensive and accurate surveys to ascertain both native and pest populations in areas currently regarded as “inaccessible”, in order to justify, or exclude, any possible recommencement or continuation of the aerial application of 1080, or its alternatives, in these areas.

4. Ensure that all pest control activities are optimised around turning adversity into opportunity, by maximising the economic potential of pest animals through the harvesting of fur and meat, and the provision of both regional employment, and export earnings.

“1080 has been spread all across this country for nearly 60 years, yet we still have the problems it is meant to have solved. Clearly it isn’t working, clearly it is causing serious harm to our native species, our people, our ecosystem, our environment, and our international reputation, and clearly something else has to be done. No other Party seems to be able to understand that. New Zealand First does,” says Mr Peters.

ENDS

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