What gives the MoC the mandate to change the status of the land, the values for which it was protected and purchased in the first instance have not changed. It is public land, and yet the public who has funded the purchase has no say, this is outrageous and clearly a political game. Is this an open invitation to developers?
The land on Banks Peninsula is likely to require considerable funds from the already stretched DOC budget, in order to be maintained.
Forest & Bird » High Country
For Sale Craigieburn Conservation Park to Aussie Ski Resort Developers?
(36 posts)-
Posted 1 year ago #
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It makes you wonder what other pieces of publicly owned conservation land DOC might like to quickly swap.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/regional/71184/doc-accused-of-putting-business-firstPosted 1 year ago # -
I don't think any of us'd have to spend too long wondering. I'd suggest HEAPS! Especially now with the economic recession and the Chch earthquake costs to justify it all - I'm afraid it all plays right into their hands...making it untold more difficult for us to argue against "creating jobs and generating income"...which will be what the debate is conveniently made into.
I don't think it was purely by chance either that the land they're swapping for is lowland in Chch I wonder if this land was identified before or after the earthquake? You gotta admit, they've backed themselves on this one pretty cleverly.
Even purely from an ecological value perspective, I'm sure they'll be able to argue that coastal lowland has an pretty high intrinsic value cos so much of our coastal lowland isn't protected, and so much more alpine land is. Not arguing for it, I can just see the arguments they'll put up.Posted 1 year ago # -
Here is an excellent review of the Government's March 2011 decision to rescind Conservation Minister Chris Carter's approval of the 2004 addition to Craigieburn Conservation Park of 198 hectares of protected pristine alpine land altitude sequence.
This enables the DG of DOC to now flog off this 198 hectares of Conservation Park designated land to the Harvey family from Australia (Harvey Norman). The Harvey family's hired NZ gun argues they will then spend $500 million in developing a ski resort that they claim will be: "the biggest thing for NZ tourism in the last 30 years" Yeah Right.....
http://www.pundit.co.nz/content/crystal-valley-and-the-conservation-state#comments
Posted 1 year ago # -
It goes from bad to worse!
The Minister's shabby March 2011 decision to rescind the Conservation Park status of 198 hectares of Castle Hill has enabled DOC to flog this 198 hectares of pristine mountain range and natural ecosystems off to Blackfish for their proposed massive Alpine Resort development.
Not only did the companies NZ shareholders, who were aggressively promoting their scheme to freehold public conservation land, bale out some months ago and sell all their shares to Aussies. The Aussies are now selling a big chunk of the company and proposed development to Russian investors. Yes those are investors from that country with a well known appalling environmental protection track record.
Is this the model of the new commercialism that DOC wants to practice throughout NZ?
If so it is a shabby model filled with dodgy back room deals and secret agreements where no one fronts up honestly and actually answers simple questions like "Who is actually doing the development" "Where is the funding coming from?" "Who is actually committed to protecting nature and what long term stake do they have in the project?"and perhaps most importantly "Where is the snow going to come from for this skifield that is notorious for poor snow?".
http://www.linz.govt.nz/overseas-investment/decisions/decision-summaries/2010-12/c201010048.pdf
Posted 1 year ago # -
Apparently the skifield ownership has now passed totally to Russian Owners.
The freeholding of this protected conservation land bought by the Nature Heritage Fund is perhaps an example of DOC implementing its new motto that appears on the bottom of all its DOC staff members latest emails
"Conservation for prosperity Tiakina te taiao, kia puawai"
Prosperity for whom? Russians?
Posted 11 months ago #
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