Changes annoy parks board

Press, 13 June 1984, Page 6

Changes annoy parks board

Nelson reporter Amendments, additions and alterations to the management plan for the Abel Tasman National Park — one member called it “gilding the lily” — by the National Parks and Reserves Authority, have not met the wholehearted approval of the planners, the Nelson-Marlborough National Parks and Reserves Board.

The revised plan was reviewed by the board, page by page, at its meeting yesterday. It was then decided, that “subject to reservations and variations agreed upon, we find the authority’s proposals acceptable." Before this resolution was adopted, however, Mr lan Lash, who with two others attended a meeting in Wellington to discuss the plan with members of the authority and the Lands and Survey Department, was critical of the way changes were made to the plan. The Wellington exercise, he said, was a dotting of is and crossing off ts in line with authority policy. He felt the board would be disappointed with the ■response from the Lands .and Survey Department in Wellington when a similar exercise was done in Wellington last November. “Most of the things we have had to deal with today should have been pointed out and dealt with then by the department,” he said. “Most of it was stuff that came from the department

rather than the authority members. I think the exercise was a waste of time and quite inadequate.” Mr Peter Malone said he was now concerned for the fate of the Mount Robert road extension recommended in the board’s management plan for the Nelson Lakes National Park, if it was correct that the department was making suggested alterations. It was known the department did not favour the extension. Mr Lash said the board delegation was told that because the Abel Tasman plan was the first to be considered by the authority, it wanted to view it as a model for other plans. Mr Lash then took the board, page by page through the plan, explaining as he did so the reasons for any alterations made. In some cases these were confined to a mere word. In others, to several pages. In one case, 2Vz paragraphs relating to "discussion of issues" were deleted and replaced by three pages of new’ material.

It was at this point that the newly-elected chairman, Mr Tony Doogue, said that if there were to be any more passages like these, the board should go through the whole plan again.

In one case where the original plan sought “to gain” control over foreshore, the "gain” was replaced by “seek.” “We cannot gain, we must seek,” said Mr Lash. “They want us to be specific but won’t

let us be." A little further, referring to noise levels within the park, the board's provision that these be kept “within acceptable limits” had been changed to “keep within limits which do not annoy other users.” “So, if you’re singing a song at Totaranui and I don’t like it, you have to stop,” said Mr Doogue. A site for the new ranger station at Marahau, at the southern head of the Abel Tasman National Park, is not meeting with universal approval. The Motueka Tramping Club advised the NelsonMarlborough National Parks and Reserves Board that the club’s annual meeting unanimously opposed the proposed site at the Marahau Motor Camp. However, also before the board, was a letter from the Nelson Tramping Club endorsing the board’s choice.

The Motueka club’s letter said the new facilities should be at the entrance to the park. “The present gateway to the park at Marahau is a disgrace, unattractive, no toilets or telephone or resting place while waiting for transport,” said the letter.

“High tides surrounding and entering, plus the increasing theft problem, make it extremely unsafe to leave vehicles there,” said the letter. It suggested a site just beyond the northern end of the causeway as suitable.

Mr Pat Timings said he

was on the committee when the site was chosen. About five sites were considered but he felt none of them

was very good because of flooding, ownership and availability. However, he felt the site on the north side of the estuary had similar disadvantages. He agreed with

the club's views on flooding, vandalism and lack of communications at the present car-park.

The Commissioner of Crown Lands, Mr Gavin Muirhead, said the site suggested by the Motueka club had been rejected because of the amount of earthworks that would have to be done.