"Who are the greenies?"

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 10, Issue 440, 16 June 1992, Page 7

"Who are the greenies?"

by

Robert

Milne

Hunters aren't conservationists. How can they be when they take off into the bush with guns, dogs and vehicles? And conservationists don't care about money. They only worry about birds, trees and far-away streams. Two current local conservation issues are the management of the Tongariro Crossing track and the Mangapurua Valley track. The Tongariro Crossing track is already well-used by both Kiwis and tourists, and the Mangapurua Track is just beginning to see larger numbers of tourists. It's ironic, and sad, that strict control seems now necessary on the Tongariro Crossing track to preserve the feeling of freedom from the pressures of modem life that most people seek there, because the experience is becoming so popular. It is also ironic that the Department of Conservation doesn't really want hunters to have easy access to the Mangapurua Valley. They say they are not stopping hunters from using the track - they just don't want them to use horses or vehicles. But it seems this restriction, if enforceable, would be effective in stopping almost all hunting in the area because hunters would face a hike of up to 17 kilometres, carrying their quarry, much of it up a steep hill. DoC says they want to bring the track up to a standard that overseas tourists demand, because the track could soon see increased use. That's great, but it shouldn't be done at the expense of the locals. I grew up on visits to national parks, with the knowledge that they were areas set aside for protection for my future, my children's future and... (you know the story). Then tourism was fine, but the main idea was preserving something for New Zealanders, so shutting off Mangapurua Track to the locals in favour of overseas tourists goes against the grain to me. And shutting off the track to hunters would seem to be anti-conservation. At present it's the hunters who are doing much of the conservation work in the area, keeping the numbers of pigs, goats and possums down. DoC, crying poverty, only has money to spend on upgrading tracks so they are neat enough for city slickers' slippered feet. DoC is claiming the track is being damaged badly by the hunters, but the hunters claim they are the ones who have been and are maintaining the track, albeit to their standard and not for slippers. I would hazard a guess and say in years to come successful conservation measures will be seen as those that controlled the animals that attack our forests. Track work is important because we want to see people, Kiwis and foreigners, come and visit. But we should be looking at the big picture and analysing what are the positive conservation actions and supporting them. I hope the Whanganui Taranaki Conservation Board are sincere in their wish to find a compromise with hunters over the Mangapurua Track, because it is the hunters who are doing conservation work that DoC is too broke to do.