Call for extensions to national parks

Press, 4 October 1977, Page 5

Call for extensions to national parks

The National Parks Authority has decided to ' recommend to the Minister of Lands and Forests (Mr V. S. Young) certain extensions to the Westland and Mount Aspiring national parks. The authority’s chairman (Mr N. S. Coad) said it had accepted the Minister’s recent invitation to comment on the future of South Westland’s native forests but, in fact, some of the recommendations made were the result of almost a year’s study of the areas involved. The National Parks Authority is required under the National Parks Act to identify areas of New Zealand it considers to be of national, park quality, said Mr Coad. In identifying potential national park land, the authority was guided by the act, and by criteria it had developed and was applying, in investigating areas throughout New Zealand. A number of areas in South Westland have been identified in this way as being of national "park quality and the South Westland land use study materially assisted the authority in coming to its firm recommendations. The authority itself had made an inspection visit to areas proposed for addition to Westland National Park, and appreciated the efforts of a number of organisations and individuals who had prepared well documented papers which had contributed to the authority's deliberations. Mr Coad said that the authority gave very care-

ful and deep consideration to the issues involved, and was conscious of the fact that the final decisions by the Government about the use of Crown-owned land in South Westland must also be made with regard to the future of the milling and mining industries. The authority is not able to assess the economic effects of its proposed national park extensions, but it does consider that the areas, in the words of the National Parks Act, 1952; “contain scenery of such distinctive quality, or natural features so beautiful or unique, that their preservation is in the national interest,” and consequently believes it is of overriding importance that they be preserved in a natural state. The recommendations of the National Parks Authority can be summarised as:

(1). That the following areas be added to Westland National Park — The Southern Okarito State Forest (9100 hectares) south of the Forks/Okarito Road (the Forest Service representative on the authority could not support this recommendation at present); the Waikukupa State Forest, and Crown land down to the ridge south of Gillespies Beach (14,800 hectares) (the Forest Service representative could support only the addition of about 8700 hectares of northern Waikukupa Forest down to the Hauraki Stream); 3840 hectares of Crown land in the Karangarua area; 14,000 hectares of Crown land in the upper Landsborough Valley.

(2) That the following areas be added to Mount Aspiring National Park — 27,000 hectares of State forest and Crown land in the Haast Range; the Red Hills area to the west of the park (a detailed recommendation will follow further investigation by the authority of suitable boundaries). (3) That the authority supports the Minister's action in commissioning a study to report on the possible extension of the existing reservation of the Okarito lagoon, together with an adequate buffer zone to protect this important area. (4) That no commitment be made to log the lower and middle reaches of the Ohinetamatea River until the Department of Lands and Survey and the New Zealand Forest Service have reported on the biological and recreational values, and the timber potential of this area. (5) That, as the Department of Lands and Survey has been asked to investigate the national park potential of 1173 hectares of Crown land adjacent to the 3840 hectares in the Karangarua area recommended for addition to the Westland national park, the authority proposes consideration of future use of this area be deferred.

(6). That, as the Department of Lands and Survey has been asked to investigate the future use of the lower Landsborough and Clarke Valleys, the authority proposes that consideration of this area be deferred.