National Park borders concern local board

Ruapehu Bulletin, 11 August 1992, Page 13

National Park borders concern local board

The Waimarino Community Board should look at the draft conservation management plan for Whanganui National Park once it is available for comment. The board decided last Thursday that individual members should make submissions on the matter now if they wished, but that the board should consider the draft plan. This course of action will apply to the matter of the additions to the Whanganui National Park. The board had a number of concems regarding the two matters, and felt it should consider the draft plans to ensure the interests of the ratepayers were not threatened. Member Winston Oliver said there was concern that if the WNP increased in size, some neighbouring land-own-ers would face large fencing bills. He said at present there were buffer zones between them and the national park, but that the proposed additions would mean they would border on the park. "Once the national park comes to the farmer's boundary, he is then 100 per cent responsible for the cost of fencing," said Mr Oliver. "And if he

doesn't feftce, he faces having stock shot because DoC has the right to shoot stock in the park if it's earmarked or not." Member Bill Peach said many tourists come to the area because of the outdoors and that local people had to be wary of access being limited to the park. He said already permits are needed to go onto the river, which cost $30 per night. "We slipped up with the Mangapurua - if we don't have input at this stage we could have problems five years down the track.

The Ruapehu District Council decided on the same course of action at their Friday meeting. Cr Bill Penny said at the meeting farmers needed to be aware of the changes, considering DoC's record of pest control. "There you've got the best nursery for possums you could ever imagine," he said. "We have to push a good-neighbour pest control policy." A group of councillors decided to meet to formulate a submission on the matters, which would not ,be from Council as such, but from them as a group of individuals.