Greenpeace told to leave Scott Base

Press, 30 January 1986, Page 28

Greenpeace told to leave Scott Base

PA Wellington Greenpeace has blamed politicians and bureaucrats for problems it experienced while visiting New Zealand’s base in Antarctica.

A helicopter crew from the Greenpeace vessel in the Ross Sea called at Scott Base to pick up mail for expedition members but was told to leave. The Minister of Science and Technology, Mr Tizard, has accused Greenpeace of causing serious inconvenience by not giving advance warning of the visit But the expedition coordinator, Mr Peter Wilkinson, said Greenpeace had tried to notify New Zealand Antarctic authori-. ties about the visit but had been unable to do so.

The New Zealand Government’s official policy toward the expedition was one of non-communica-tion except on humanitarian or safety grounds, Mr Wilkinson said.

“Yet they still wanted us to notify them of our arrival 24 hours in advance, which we would have done had they answered our calls.

“They didn’t want to talk to us, but at the same time they wanted notification. We couldn’t notify them because people didn’t answer our calls.” Mr Wilkinson said this put expedition members in a dilemma.

They decided to go ahead and use the base Post Office facilities because they had been offered to them by the Antarctic Division chief, Mr Bob Thomson, during a meeting in Christchurch before the expedition.

Mr Thomson has since said Greenpeace expected to arrive at the base and find everything open. He said they arrived at about 5.50 p.m., after normal Post Office hours. Mr Wilkinson said the helicopter crew notified the neighbouring United States McMurdo Base of their intended arrival, and were told there was a

message from Scott Base saying the pilot was not allowed to land without giving notice. But when the pilot touched down outside Scott Base he was told by two officers that he could use the official helicopter pad. The initial welcome to Greenpeace at the base was good, Mr Wilkinson said.

However, a couple of hours later, after base officials had called New Zealand, they were told that Greenpeace had to leave. Mr Wilkinson described the instruction as petty and unfortunate. “It’s the officials and the politicians in their comfortable offices in Wellington who make these decisions,” he said. "It’s politics rearing its ugly head unfortunately.” The Greenpeace Antarctic expedition has finished its helicopter surveillance of the Cape Byrd, Cape Evans and Scott Base areas. The ship is heading along the Ross Ice shelf towards the Bay of Whales, where the expedition members hope to land and celebrate Greenpeace’s Antarctic Day on February 1 before returning to New Zealand.