Labour supports eruption support task force

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 645, 16 July 1996, Page 5

Labour supports eruption support task force

Labour leader Helen Clark met representatives of local businesses in Ohakune last Thursday, ac companied by the MP for Tongariro, Mark Burton, and Labour' s Te Puku O Te Whenua parliamentary candidate, Rino Tirakatene. Their visit was to listen to the concerns of local people whose livelihoods are being adversely affected by volcanic activity on Mt Ruapehu, and to take their comments and ideas back to Wellington. "It's time the inhabitants of the Beehive regarded these matters with the seriousness they clearly demand," Helen Clark said. She called on the government to put in place various measures to alleviate the problems suffered by local businesses and workers (see separate story). In a letter to the prime minister, Jim Bolger, covering the proposals she said if there was no ski season the infrastructure of the local economy would be seriously undermined. "Consideration needs to be given to the question of supplementation of income for small business people with little or no income and significant loans to service," she writes. "The Special Assistance to the Rural Sector Programme has provided special needs grants to farmers in not dissimilar circumstances in the past." "I must stress that no-one is looking for handouts but that there is genuine concern among a number of small businesses about their ability to trade their way through this year and still be in business next year." "Tongariro National Park is one of New Zealand' s prime tourist areas, attracting visitors from around the world. The local people whose livelihoods are based on tourism require a commitment from central government that they will not suffer unduly if the present delays to the start of the ski season drag on for many weeks because of the volcanic activity," said Helen Clark.