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August 07, 2023
Hostile reaction to forestry plan timetable
Peter Verschaffelt
Posted On August 7, 2023
Download AudioForestry Minister Peeni Henare says he’s disappointed but not surprised by the walk-out from a public meeting on the Government’s response to the report on forestry slash.
The Government has rejected eight of the 49 recommendations made by the ministerial inquiry into land use in Te Tairāwhiti after a series of extreme weather events.
Mr Henare told the Gisborne meeting Cabinet has approved the appointment of a statutory resource manager and committed to law and policy changes which will support the transition to new land uses on the East Coast.
He says some people believe the Government was not moving fast enough.
“My former colleague the Honourable Hekia Parata who led the report made it clear there was going to be a five to 10 year timeframe around many of the recommendation in that report and some want to see action sooner rather than later and there was a mixture of both those things in our announcement yesterday,” Mr Henare says.
Gisborne District Council, the Eastland Wood Council and the region’s iwi are looking at the action plan which spans 10 cabinet portfolios and also includes significant areas of local government responsibility.
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