Conservation left in a turmoil

Press, 24 June 1981, Page 21

Conservation left in a turmoil

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

The whole conservation movement in New Zealand has been turned upside down by the proposed merger between the 33,000-member Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society and 3000member Native Forests Action Council. Nothing occurred at the society’s annual meeting last weekend to clear the air.

A merger is by no means certain. It has been in the wind for at least six months, but just when it seemed to be about to go ahead it has been frustrated.

A majority of councillors supported a merger in principle, but a greater majority were opposed to the merger proposal as it stood. The council met “in committee” for nearly a day. The proposal has aroused a lot of opposition among society members.

When proposals have been considered by the two organisations’ executives to determine whether a merger is mutually agreeable, a statement will be issued to all society members. This statement will summarise the

discussion at the council meeting and give details of any new proposal. After branch meetings have been held, another meeting of the society's council will ratify or reject the proposal. This meeting is unlikely to be held before September. The society’s executive has put in a lot of time over the last six months on the merger. It became clear from the council that it had no mandate from members to' do so. Councillors made it plain that they expected the executive to devote more attention to conservation and less to reorganisation. Last week-end, the council voted back into office substantially the same executive committee.

About two-thirds of the society’s branches were against the . merger and a third were for it. The chief sticking point seemed to be the staff changes and restructuring which were part of the terms for merging.

Society members plainly found these unacceptable. Advocates of the merger praised the research director of N.F.A.C. (Mr Guy Salmon) as a person coming to rescue a moribund and ineffective society. That must have been as embarrassing for Mr Salmon as it was insulting for most members of the Society. Opponents of any merger had many opinions. One, that Mr Salmon was a divisive influence in the conservation movement, was viewed with profound distaste by most delegates. The appointment of Mr Salmon as director of the society was the main stumbling block to the merger. Negotiations will now begin over whether he will accept some lesser position, probably under the authority of the present national conservation officer of the society (Mr David Collingwood) and on a par with the present . administration officer (Mrs Olga Langford).