MR M. F. COURTNEY ‘For people, not the party’

Press, 10 November 1981, Page 20

MR M. F. COURTNEY ‘For people, not the party’

“I am standing for the people arid not for a political party.” With this brief sentence, Mr M. F. (Mel) Courtney explains part of the reason he opted out of Labour’s political machine earlier this year to become an Independent in his sixth year as member of Parliament' for Nelson. His disaffection with the Labour Party has its roots in his squabbles with trade union circles in Nelson and his refusal, as he says, “to be led by the nose by some elements of the trade union movement or some elements in that Left wing intellectual

liberal group who seem to be opposed to development and adequate defence for our country, soft on law and order and liberal and moral standards, and in my view could not care less about the working families of this country.” Before the rift, however, Mr Courtney had had an 18year association with the Labour movement. Even as a labour member he owned two big Nelson supermarkets, and has since acquired a third. It was this association with “capitalism” that got him off-side with the Trades Council “I realise that party gov-

ernment has degenerated to such an extent that people should have a representative of their own,” he says. He firmly disagree with the arguments that an independent in Parliament has no influence and cannot be relied upon because his political policy was unknown. He sees Nelson as having a particularly bright future. The region had positive people and what was required was steady, sustained progress well planned. “We don’t want to get caught up in arguments over think big or small. We need a balanced development based on farming, horticulture,

fishing, forestry, some mining, and tourism,” he says. Mr Courtney says he sees a need for a feasibility study for a railway link with Blenheim — without advocating that there be one, especially with the parlous state the New Zealand railway system is in today. Port Nelson he considers is the gateway to the South Island. Although much was made of the notional railway, 60 per cent of all incoming Nelson freight passed over the wharves compared with 39 per cent by road, and 75 per cent of outgoing freight went through the port compared with 24 per cent by road, he says.