Forestry and wood-processing companies around Gisborne and Wairoa have been warned they must be proactive on the slash issue – or the government will make all the decisions for them.
The report of a ministerial inquiry into woody debris has been delayed because of the number of submissions that came in, but it should be in the hands of ministers by the middle of the month.
Eastland Wood Council chief executive Phillip Hope, of Te Aitanga a Hauiti and Ngati Porou, says members removed tonnes of slash from the beach at Tolaga Bay beach over the past week, and they’re looking at other local beach cleanups.
He also hope the inquiry will offer a path forward.
“The first thing which we’ve called for is a detailed risk assessment to identify land that should be converted from its current use in forestry to other uses – and we need to work with other land owners, council and government for that to happen,” Mr Hope says.
He says much of the East Coast is not economically viable for anything else besides forestry, and the steep terrain also makes slash control difficult.
