Tourist leader hits at conservationists

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33814, 10 April 1975, Page 9

Tourist leader hits at conservationists

Band-waggon conservationists were slated bv the managing director of the Mount Cook and Southern Lakes Tourist Com-

pany in Wellington yesterday as hysterical but misguided dogooders who in many cases had no real knowledge of the subject.

Mr H. R. Wigley told a New eZaland National Travel Association meeting that many worthwhile tourist projects were being held up by small vocal groups who “object te every development on principle.” “I believe that the tourist industry can be developed for many years ahead without detrimentally affecting the environment or our main tourist assets, the national parks, thermal regions, and wilderness areas,” he said.

The terms “conservation"; and “environment” had been’ overworked and abused. “Far too many people 1 have jumped on the bandwaggon and many of them have not studied the problems. but echo the catchcries which have become so fashionable,” he said. He respected the views of sincere conservationists who knew their subject and in most cases whe- they did know their subject, he did not disagree with them. “My quarrel is with the vocal minorities: the misguided do-gooders, the ignorantly enthusiastic, and those who simply enjoy the; publicity that getting on : band-waggons brings them.”' he said.

“They retuse to accept the rulings of the Town and) Country Plaining Appeal; Boards and other tribunals,; and even the Supreme! Court, if thev do not agree! with their decisions. “Today, if you walk; across a paddock and kick a] cow-pat, out will crawl! something yelling 'pollution' or ‘environment.’

“Personally, I am fed up! to the teeth with the frus-l tr.itions of fighting a lot of I misguided people who really] do not know what they are objecting to.” said Mr Wig-! ley.

He cited ~ev?ra. examples which he said showed unsound thinking. a contradiction in claims, and questionable sincerity on the part of conservationists. Most tourists visited only five or six areas which were seen as micro-dots on a map of New Zealand and were a very small percentage of the country’s unique wilderness area.

■ “While visiting these places, tourists do not travel far from the bases where they eat and sleep, and then travel on well-defined routes by well-organised systems to the attractions of th. areas. “Their impact on the places they visit, and on

New Zealanders themselves.; is negligible and. in my' opinion, tourist development! can continue for many years! before any objectionable! trends will be observed.”! said Mr Wiglev. “The micro-dots which' tourists visit leave 99 perl c e n t of wilderness! areas completely untouched,! and so it is logical and safe! to develop these to theiri maximum to cater for tourists, so they will not en- j croach on the surrounding areas.” he said. The Hooker Flat, below; the Hermitage at Mount' Cook, had nothing to com-! mend it as a tourist attraction and should be cut from the National Park and developed as a holiday village like Wanaka, Queenstown. Taupo and other holiday towns. “A village there would not spoil the views of the area, nor damage the environ-! ment: for people do not go to look at this useless bit of land on the fringes of the! park, but to visit the park i proper.

“If a village were to be! developed and housing sites! sold to New Zealanders, balanced development would! take place The butcher, the; baker, the candle-stick-! maker would set up shop to: cater for the residents and visitors,” he said. Access by road was the! key to the development of] tourist and holiday areas.: Without a road very few; New Zealanders and evenfewer tourists would visit! them, said Mr Wigley. “Road access . should, therefore, be planned only to places it is intended to develop. Once road access is provided it is just as difficult to hold back the tourist and holiday tide as it was for King Canute to hold back the sea. “Places which already' have road access, such as; Mount Cook and Milford,! will be developed further.! whether now or in 15 or 501 years, so the inevitability! should be accepted so that! sound long-range planning] can be done. “If this inevitability is not j accepted, there will bq chaos! and damage to the environ-] ment when the tide does] sweep in," he said. Mr Wigley recommended' long-range planning to! develop holiday areas should! be done by people with bal-i anced knowledge of the nat-J ural assets and the environ-] ment, and the „needs of the! tourist industry. This plan-| ning should include the removal from National Parks | of those areas with road

access, which should then be developed as complete holiday and tourist villages. Town and Country Planning authorities should have the sole power to adjudicate on tourist, holiday, and environmental problems, and the role of the National Parks boards should be altered to place greater emphasis on the enjoyment of the parks by people, he said.