16 March 2005

Brash – a man without a mission statement

The government will continue to offer choices to South Island high country farmers; choices undistracted by the anti-DoC hysterics of National party leader Don Brash.

The government will also ensure that taxpayers get a fair return from this publicly owned land, which is leased out to farmers.

Many farmers are pursuing the choice of tenure review, a voluntary process inherited from the last National government. Reviews agreed to by farmers to date see 35 per cent of land going into the conservation estate, with 65 per cent assigned to freehold.

"This government will continue to offer leaseholders choices – to be bought out of their leases, to acquire freehold title or to continuing leasing. By contrast, Don Brash is promising that DoC will have a new mission statement," says Minister for Land Information, Pete Hodgson.

"Dr Brash is misleading the New Zealand public when he gets his figures wrong. He also overlooks the fact that the Crown already owns this land so how can it grab something that it already owns?

"Once again, the National Party seems to be caught in a time warp, unable to accept the diversification of the high country economy where tourism, recreation and conservation are creating stronger more diverse and resilient communities."

ENDS

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