Concern Over U.S. Interest In N.Z.

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32321, 12 June 1970, Page 12

Concern Over U.S. Interest In N.Z.

Concern about the growing interest of American business in New Zealand’s countryside was expressed last evening by the chairman of the Canterbury branch of the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society (Mr T. M. C. Hay).

Speaking to the annual meeting of the branch, Mr Hay gave warning of a steady procession of nature crises for the country. “Such outbreaks as Manapouri, Coppermine Island, bush eradication, scenery destruction and long-lived lethal insecticides are merely symptoms of a national sickness called uncontrolled nature exploitation,” he said. “As conservation regulations restrict nature exploitation in the United States, more and more American business eyes are kindling speculatively on our own unspoiled countryside. Mr Hay said the cure was the establishment of an autonomous, unfettered nature conservancy to “temper the demands of business and bureaucracy” with common sense.

"Until we achieve an independent conservancy, a steady procession of nature crises will be our lot from now on,” he said.

Referring to the Manapouri dispute, Mr Hay said public indignation could not be held at “white heat” for long. This was probably why a

commission was working its unnecessary and painstaking way to the conclusion already reached by the Nature Conservation Council—that the levels of Lakes Manapouri and Te Anau should remain unchanged. It was time-honoured political strategy to allow people time to cool off and, since the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) had said he would not necessarily take the commission’s advice, it was up to the society to ensure there was still enough heat in public opinion to shape the decision in nature’s favour. Mr Hay welcomed the present emphasis by the public on environmental care. “Words such as conservation, environment, and pollution have captured the imagination of the people but, although we see no shortage of lip-service, we have the same old result—a committee stifled by a surfeit of Government representation. “The word conservation is, of course, fashionable, and I trust the trend it has set will not melt away with it when the word goes the way of many other over-syllabled ‘mod’ words,” he said.