Public say in land to end

Press, 5 March 1987, Page 11

Public say in land to end

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington

The disbanding of the Land Settlement Board and the failure of the Government to replace it with anything is being criticised by conservationists.

Public involvement in about 10 per cent of New Zealand’s land area, including South Island high country ended with the board’s last meeting in Wellington this week. Dr Geny McSweeney, conservation director of the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society, said public involvement in the high country was about to end with the demise of the board.

He challenged the Government to square this fact with its pre-election commitment to broaden public partication in highcountry land management

Since 1948 the board had played a key role in settling conflicts over Crown lands, including the huge pastoral leases of the South Island high country. In 1984, the Labour Government had honoured its promise, in part, by broadening representation on the board to include scientific, conservation and recreation representatives, Dr McSweeney said.

■This had helped the

board in finding balanced solutions to many highcountry problems.

“From now on, a vail of secrecy will shroud all negotiations on highcountry land,” he said.

All control would be handed to Government officials and the Land Development and Management Corporation, whose first loyalty would always be to their Ministers and not to the public.

Dr McSweeney said this move was consistent with other Government moves to concentrate power in the hands of bureaucrats, without the oversight of public watchdogs.