Executive and Council go to Rotorua

Forest and Bird, Issue 267, 1 February 1993, Page 44

Executive and Council go to Rotorua

THE LAKES, native forests and thermal areas of Rotorua were the setting for the November meetings of the society’s national executive and council. The executive discussed the government’s extension of clearfelling on the West Coast and, given the absurdly low royalties being paid by West Coast Timberlands, authorised the society to offer to purchase the clearfelling rights to Poerua forest so that it could be declared an ecological area. The executive also rejected DoC’s Himalayan thar control plan, and urged a major commercial or departmental offensive against thar throughout their range. Councillors were addressed on the Saturday evening by Bryce Heard, chief executive of Tasman Forestry on the alliance

between conservationists, led by Forest and Bird, and enlightened sections of the forestry industry to preserve native forests and promote plantation forestry on non-conservation land. John Blincoe, Labour’s spokesperson on conservation issues, spoke frankly to councillors on his party’s conservation programme for the coming election. Field trips for council members were organised by Ann and Basil Graeme to the geysers, mudpools and geothermal vegetation of the area, and to the wallaby exclosures on the shores of Lake Okataina, the latter particularly highlighting the destruction caused by introduced animals.