Arapawa Island plan to go forward

Press, 10 December 1981, Page 13

Arapawa Island plan to go forward

The Marlborough Sounds Maritime Park Board will go ahead with amendments to its draft management plan for the Arapawa Island Scenic Reserve in the absence dF’«ahy ; '-request by interested parties for an opportunity for them to speak to their ■ submissions on the original draft. The draft will now be submitted to the Minister of Lands (Mr V. S. Young) for his approval. The chairman of the board (Mr J. B. Mitchell) said the board had been waiting four months for the parties to speak to their submissions. The situation had now developed into a “sort of Mickey Mouse outfit.” The New Zealand Big Game Hunters’ Association has sought an unqualified assurance from the board that no attempt will be made to do anything harmful to the resident’ colonies of sheep, goats and wild pigs on the island.

The association has asked that board efforts be directed to preserving in perpetuity what must now be recognised aS some of the most import species of feral animals in-the world. The Arapawa Island Wildlife Trust has sought definition of certain words in the draft and information on goat numbers. Mr Mitchell has advised these parties that they would be unable to speak on anything but their original submissions after considering the proposed alterations to the draft. He said it was abundantly apparent from the association's original -submissions and recent comments that it was diametrically opposed not only to the draft plan and amendments, but also to the submissions obtained from all other parties. Mr G. S. Baxter said the board had been guilty in the part of not giving people a full hearing. He considered

that if there were some objections they should be heard. “You are trying to deny them the right to be heard publicly. There has been a lot of animosity in the past, and there is evidence of a hardened attitude among bord members,” he said. Mr Mitchell repeated that' the board had been waiting for four months for the parties to speak to their submissions. “The situation has been going on for six years. We have abided by the legislation and we have got nowhere,” Mr Mitchell said. He said two formal opportunities had been given for their views to be made known. A motion by Mr Baxter, seconded by Mr W. W. Townsend, that the interested parties be given another opportunity to speak to the full board in the presence of the news media was lost by nine votes to two.