Forum hears debate on Paparoa park

Press, 11 June 1977, Page 20

Forum hears debate on Paparoa park

Abou t 50 people attended a public forum on “a national park lor the Paparoas” at Punakaiki recently. The meeting " soaddressed by representatives of the Forest Service, Native Forest Action Council and the Punakaik’ Scenic Reserve Board. The Lands and Survey Department, which administers national parks, did not send a representative. Mr Gerry McSweeney of Christchurch, spoke foi N.F.A.C. and outlined win his organisation considered the area to be wortin of national park status. He cited the region’s no table physical features, the complex geology, he said rhe area was physically isolated from other areas of Westland, which has led to several species of plants being found in this area and nowhere else. He also mentioned the famous blowholes, Pancake Rocks, the southern range limit of Nikau palms and that the area was the only nesting site of the Westland black petrel. ' Mr McSweeney said the area is rich in native birds. He said although there is a "reasonable population” of parakeets, bush robins, kakas and spotted kiwis, there is nothing unique about the birdlife. He said the current status of the land is mostly State forest, although the top of the range is designated unoccupied Crown land. He said the National Parks Authority is considering the feasibility of a small national park between the Fox River, the Punakaiki River and the top of the range. Mr Selwyn June, a botanist of N.F.A.C. spoke of the proposed Forest Service bush scheme and how

it affected the Paparoa range. He said large areas in the north of the range m Charleston State Forest were designated for clear felling and exotic conversion to pine forest. Mr Peter Hooper ot Greymouth spoke on ti'historv of the range from 'he early Maori explorations of 1 e Rauparaha to gold-mining, coal-mining and timber milling. He said right through the ai ea there are signs of previous commercial exploitation. He said a complete land use plane was necessary, which went beyond the economic gains for Coasters.” The recreational demands of the area would continue to increase, especially from people in the large city areas. The plan is vitallv needed to avoid haphazard development. Mr Peter Gorman, the New Zealand Forest Service district forester lor North Westland, said that the Forest Service had previously considered the Paparoa range area for designation as a forest park. But the service ranked the area poorly for (his. The main reason is that the region has particularly poor access. Apart from the Croesus Track, there are virtually no access routes into the extremely rugged terrain. He said the predominant use of a forest park was recreational and that it would not be in the public interest to encourage people to visit inaccessible areas of the range. Tramping in that area would be very demanding. “Most of the area that the National Parks Authority is considering had already been logged and was of little economic interest to the Forest Service.”

Mr Gorman said th* Forest Service has no plans for forming new tracks in tin area ar.d considers the small m ber of poepte visiting th? area does not justifiy the large expense and effort involved. Mr Bill Cairns, a mem ber of the Punakaiki See me Reser\e> Board. »ate he would not like to >er the resources of the Pa paroa range area “locket up” as national park. He said there is still timber in the area left tc mill and that the job ol local people depended or this. He conceded mat th? Pun-akaiki area was seem cally and otherwisi unique. but consideret New Zealand already ha: enough areas as nations parks. He also said tha there were enough bio logical reserves in the re gion. Mr Cairns said he ii happy with the land in tht Punakaiki reserve, bu considers the Per pendicular Point property of Mr Owen Wilkes ant the adjacent property — the estate of L. B. Fishe' — should rightfully be in eluded in the Punakaik Scenic Reserve. Mr Dems Holcroft, a!st of the reserves board, sa he "didn’t want the Ceas people to have to lick th< boots of a bunch of tour ists.” He said his sons art fifth generation "Coasters and that it is their heri tage and right to continui milling native timber. The 25 Christchurcf N.F.A.C. people at th, seminar walked to Barry town from Blackball ove the Paparoa Range via tht Croesus Track. They spent a day look ing at logging sites in tht State forest near Charles ton and in the Grev Vai ley.