‘National outlook’ needed for public land use

Press, 1 December 1988, Page 22

‘National outlook’ needed for public land use

By

JANE DUNBAR

The Government’s desire to move from central to regional Government is flawed and ' dangerous, says the president of Federated Mountain Clubs, Mr David Crawford. Any moves by the Government to abdicate from its elected and constitutional responsibility amounted to treason, said Mr Crawford in the December edition of the organisation’s magazine, “Bulletin.” Recreation and conservation on New Zealand public lands would be degraded if there were no means for national input on their management, he said. The Government seemed to think regional

authorities should administer, govern and control all resources in their region. But regions would often be more concerned with their own interests than matters of national interest. On the West Coast, for example, conservation and recreational resources would be managed for production, said Mr Crawford. But these resources would be best managed from a national perspective. The Govenment had been caught up with the momentum of change and was changing the way things were done for the sake of it, he said. It was distressing that there was so little public debate on the issue said Mr Crawford.