Community Bands Together To Save LEH Memorial Domain

Members of the Nelson Community have gathered together to fight against plans by Carter Holt Harvey to subdivide & develop part of The LEH Memorial domain at Kina, Nelson. Mr LEH Baigent OBE gifted to the people of Nelson the 10.7 hectares at the end of the Kina Peninsular, which has been a popular and well used domain for decades. By way of a covenant which Carter Holt Harvey have decided they are legally able to do.

Nelson recording artist Aly Cook, Kina resident & other friends of the domain started a facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-Lee-Baigent-Memorial-Domain-Kina-Tasman-NZ/153869711295916?ref=mf to encourage people to make submissions to the Tasman District Council, against the proposed subdivision, for which applications close on 3rd of September. Even children of the area are emailing info@tasman.govt.nz with their submissions opposing the development.

Hundreds of local school children with members of the community worked tirelessly in 2006 in a native regeneration plan with member of CHH staff Phil Wright to implement a plan that mentioned nothing of a planned subdivision. This project went on to win the overall environmental award for the region. http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/nelson-mail-the/mi_8062/is_20061122/kina-project-work-earns-award/ai_n46910574/

Sadly in CHH's current plan to subdivide they don't mention the community and children's involvement or the award as they turn back and U Turn on what they said in 2006, ironically the same year as Graeme Hart's Rank Group Investments Limited bought CHH for over 3 Billion dollars.

This David and Goliath situation has now reached around the world and word got to best seller & highly successful New Zealand born author Michael Baigent, who apart from writing & co writing best sellers like The Holy Blood & The Holy Grail, is also the grandson of LEH Baigent and is upset by proposed subdivision of the precious gift his grandfather left the people of Nelson.

He contacted Aly and has now written to council and is supporting the battle to save his Grandfather's legacy and for no development or subdivision to take place on that 10.7 hectares gifted for use as a public domain.

He writes

"For this land to now be developed commercially would be a travesty; it may well be possible legally, I do not know the law of the matter, but if so it is a clear case of vested interests restricting themselves to the letter of the Law for personal gain and forgetting entirely the spirit of the Law - that this land was given for all to share and enjoy. For that was the clear intention of my grandfather whatever legal sophistry has now been performed upon the original agreement deeds." - Michael Baigent

We invite members of the media to please support us and ask questions of the morality of Carter Holt Harvey's plans to subdivide & profiteer from land which was given for the enjoyment of the public, their denial of the work done by the children of area and their change of plan for the future of the domain. We ask that Carter Holt Harvey

"Do the right thing" and drop their submission to subdivide.. give the vested care of this land to TDC in consulation with the community as intended by the man who gifted it Lewis EH Baigent OBE for the enjoyment of the public for now and future generations.

ends

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