May 27, 2014
Iwi eye on DOC
The new chair of the Tongariro-Taupo Conservation Board says pests, plants and policy are what will keep him busy.
John Bishara, who also chairs the Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board, is one of a number of prominent iwi representatives from around the country who have been appointed to the 167 boards, which provide a link between the community and the Department of Conservation.
He says all regions will have specific concerns, but there are many issues in common.
"The conservation boards are there to monitor the department and we have a conservation management system that’s devised by the boards in conjunction with the department and we’re there to monitor their progress, for instance deer, possums, the recovery of our native seed stocks, our birdlife, all those things in the conservation-preservation aspect, those are the things that we deal with,"
Mr Bishara says.
It’s the first time in 15 years of conservation boards that the conservation minister has picked the chairs, with that decision being made in past years by board members.
FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH JOHN BISHARA CLICK ON THE LINK
http://www.waateanews.com/play_podcast?podlink=MTg1NDc=
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