King Salmon High Court decision disappoints
The Environmental Defence Society has expressed disappointment at the decision of the High Court on King Salmon. The
decision went against both the Save our Sounds and EDS appeals.
“We appealed 2 of the 4 approved sites: Waitata and Port Gore,” said EDS Chairman Gary Taylor.
“The High Court has disallowed our appeal on both sites.
“We note that the Judge did concede that the issues we raised were important and said of both sets of appeals “They
have, both competently and responsibly, advanced legitimate public interests.”
“We will be analysing the decision carefully over the next few days and taking legal advice, including from an
independent Queens Counsel.
“We have 10 working days to file an application for leave to appeal the High Court decision to the Supreme Court. Doing
that is a big step and raises important issues for us relating to affordability that we’ll need to consider.
“But we are not into futile gestures and will not be taking the matter further unless there is a good chance of success.
“My own personal view, after reading the decision, is that the Judge has got at least part of his decision wrong.
“I’m very concerned that notwithstanding clear policies in the NZ Coastal Policy Statement that protect outstanding
natural landscapes – the very best bits of New Zealand’s coasts – the Court has not found an error of law in the earlier
decision.
“I do not think that Port Gore is a suitable site for an industrial scale salmon farm,” Mr Taylor concluded.
ENDS