Native Forest Action has called on the Labour Party to make its position clear on West Coast rimu logging. It says that if logging of rimu forests continues, over half of the logging will be in the top priority forests on the shores of Okarito Lagoon – adjacent to the white heron colony.

Just days before Labour announced its policy to end all logging of West Coast native forests in September this year, the state logging company Timberlands hurriedly signed up eight-year rimu and beech timber contracts in an attempt to commit future governments to logging.

“The public deserves to know whether Labour will stand by its conservation policy and do all it can to bring a rapid end to logging of outstanding areas of natural heritage. Because Michael Cullen’s statements yesterday seemed to partly contradict Labour’s policy we will be approaching the party to ask that it make its position clear before the election," said Native Forest Action spokesperson Dean Baigent-Mercer.

“We are angry at the continuing dirty tricks by Timberlands to keep native logging going on the West Coast. Just as Labour has declared it will sweep aside last-minute contracts signed to maintain beech forest logging, so too we urge the party to find a way out of the Timberland’s shonky politically-motivated rimu contracts.”

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