Dunne to fight for people's right to access Kaingaroa Forest, rivers and lakes

UnitedFuture leader Peter Dunne today told a Murupara public meeting to protest Timberlands’ ban on public access to Kaingaroa Forest and rivers and lakes, that he would fight for their right to enjoy and use them

“In the end, this is very simple: Timberlands has taken away something people have accessed, used and relied on for their leisure, but also in many cases, for their livelihood for many years,” Mr Dunne said.

“It’s just not on and an about-face on Timberlands’ historic stance where they even conducted ‘feel good’ advertising about sharing the forest with the people.

“We just want them to get back to living up to their word on that,” he said.

He advised the “passionate and fiery” meeting of more than 100 people, including Fish & Game representatives, local iwi, fishing clubs from as far away as Auckland, and other locals, to work out their priorities and specific requirements.

He also committed to working with National MP and Rotorua MP Todd McClay, who was also at the meeting, to championing their interests with Timberlands and Central North Island iwi.

Until two years ago, the people of Murupara and the hunters, fishers and kayakers upon whom they largely depend for a living, had full and essentially unrestricted access to the Kaingaroa River and forest.

“For a lot of locals, the forest and its rivers and lakes have also been their source of food – trout, eels, puha, watercress – and firewood,” Mr Dunne said.

“This is not a wealthy community. It is true rural New Zealand and they’re getting done over here in terms of access that they have always responsibly enjoyed. It’s just been unilaterally taken from them.”

Two years ago, Timberlands ended access to the forest and publicly owned rivers and lakes from October until the end of April each year.

This ended years of open access to the Rangataiki River – scene of the 1991 World Fly Fishing Championships, and a river prized by anglers the world over – during the months of the fishing season.

The reason given by Timberlands has been fire risk, Mr Dunne said.

“There has never been a fire in the forest through many years of hunters and fishers accessing it. These people are the ultimate conservationists; their own safety depends on it,” he said

Mr Dunne said Timberlands’ stance had hit local businesses hard, and was the last straw in some closing in tough economic times, and others still struggling to survive.

ENDS

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