THE RUATOKI DECLARATION

Te Ao Hou, June 1960, Page 34

THE RUATOKI DECLARATION On 22 November 1959 Mr E. T. Tirikatene as Minister of Forests, made a public declaration at Ruatoki in the Urewere country, on the future of the forest lands in the catchments of the Rangitaiki, Whakatane, Waioeka and Wairoa Rivers. As Mr Tirikatene pointed out in his statement, it is incorrect and misleading to talk about one set of problems for the whole of the Urewera. The area under consideration included mainly the forested area in the Whakatane River catchment and only part of the forests in the other three catchment areas. The whole area came under survey because people living in the lower reaches of all four rivers are concerned about flooding and how activities in the forests affect matters. Mr Tirikatene explained to the gathering at Ruatoki how Maori owners can dispose of timber on their land. There are two methods: 1. Prospective buyers of timber should make an application to the Maori Land Court for a statutory meeting of owners who can pass a resolution to sell. The consent of the Minister of Forests is then required, given under the Maori Affairs Act. Confirmation of this consent by the Maori Land Court is required. 2. The owners may fell the timber themselves and sell the felled logs or mill. This system can lead to abuse. For many years, the New Zealand Forest Service consistently advised the Ministers of Forests to withhold consent to the sale of timber from Maori forests in the Urewera because of the danger of erosion and increased flooding that might accompany logging. Owners, however, were felling and selling their own timber and in recent years, this practice has grown.