Public to have their say

Forest and Bird, Volume 19, Issue 3, 1 August 1988, Page 10

Public to have their say

The result of the conservation quango review has been good news for conservationists. More than 60 national park boards and conservation park advisory boards, plus various other quangos, have been replaced by around 20. To replace the National Parks and Reserves Authority, the N.Z. Conservation Authority has been created. Forest & Bird, along with Federated Mountain Clubs and the Royal Society have a legal right to be represented on this important body. In the early days of the review, indications were that this legal right of representation would be dropped. The Guardians of Lakes Te Anau and Manapouri have been retained as public interest bodies dedicated to watch over the future of these lakes, threatened by the possible Government sale of Electricorp. If the corporation is sold, the West Arm power station will be as well, and control over lake

levels might then be in the hands of a private company. Chairman of the Guardians, Dr Alan Mark, said it was encouraging to see the Government's faith in public input into decision making. Finally, one of the principles of Forest & Bird's Tongariro Declaration — that national parks should be managed as single entities and not have their management decisions split between regions — has been adopted. This will mean, for example, that management decisions over the West Coast side of Arthur's Pass will be the same as those over the eastern half. Beforehand it was split between West Coast and Canterbury DoC management.