Advisory Post for Kevin Smith

Forest and Bird, Issue 298, 1 November 2000, Page 38

Advisory Post for Kevin Smith

fter 15 years with Forest and Bird, Kevin Smith has resigned from the position of conservation director to become a senior policy advisor to the Minister of Conservation, Hon. Sandra Lee. Kevin Smith joined the Society’s staff in the heady days of the campaigns to save the West Coast forests, after working for the Forest Research Institute (on the regeneration ecology of the west Taupo forests), and several years as a possum trapper and meat shooter in South Westland. In Westland, he had been one of the leaders of the Native Forest Action Council of

the time. Living in the milltown of Harihari, he was active in researching and organising the joint forest action committee’s work (with Forest and Bird) to protect the rainforests. As the West Coast field officer of Forest and Bird, Kevin Smith was the architect of of many West Coast reserves. He also represented conservation groups on the South Westland working party which developed the conservation and community ‘package’ for the South West World Heritage Area/ Te Wahi Pounamu. He succeeded Dr Gerry McSweeney as conservation director of the Society in

Wellington in 1989. Paying tribute to Kevin Smith’s service to the Society, national president Keith Chapple noted: ‘he is leaving us after a period of exceptional conservation success for the Society. These successes include bringing an end to the logging of publicly-owned West Coast rainforests and securing a substantial funding boost for the Department of Conservation. Other achievements during this period include the creation of national parks and world heritage areas, the signing of the New Zealand Forest Accord in which Kevin played a large part, and a ban on the export of native

woodchips. ‘In recent times Kevin Smith has worked closely with the forestry, farming and horticulture industries to draw public and political attention to the need for tougher border biosecurity to protect New Zealand’s economy and environment. The recent decision to require the offshore cleaning and inspection of used car imports owed much to Kevin’s advocacy, Keith Chapple said. ‘He also played a leading role in threatened-species advocacy and was a member of the kiwi recovery group. ‘We wish him well in his future conservation career