National Executive and Council meetings

Forest and Bird, Volume 23, Issue 1, 1 February 1992, Page 48

National Executive and Council meetings

THE FOREST AND BIRD National Executive met in Christchurch on 15 November. The executive called on the government to seek a heritage protection order over the Kaimaumau wetland sold by Landcorp, recommended the protection of the Longwoods beech forest in Southland from woodchipping by inclusion in a conservation park and approved the nomination of the proposed Kaikoura marine reserve. The meeting was followed by a Council meeting in Methven and a field trip to the Ashburton basin, the Rangitata River, "Erewhon" station, Lake Clearwater and Lake Heron. The council weekend was organised by field officer Mike Harding and members of the Ashburton branch. Councillors saw at first hand many of the problems of land degradation caused by grazing that affect the huge area (10% of New Zealand) covered by the high country pastoral leases, and visited a number of the lakes and rivers that are home to the endangered southern crested grebe and the rare wrybill plover. Councillors condemned the recent illegal drainage of one of the last remaining red-tussock wetlands in Canterbury and sought remedial action from the Canterbury Regional Council. The Minister of Lands, Rob Storey, addressed the council and supported land tenure reform in the high country to provide a mechanism to resolve conflicts between farming and conservation.