Anger, frustration at Tokomaru Bay

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

The final community hearing on the ministerial inquiry into land use highlighted anger and frustration in Tokomaru Bay at the forestry industry and how its practices and its waste had exacerbated the impacts of extreme weather events.

Held over video link due to road access uncertainty, 10 residents had gathered at the Tokomaru Bay Sports Clubrooms and 25 others joined the inquiry panel on Zoom.

Community and Civil Defence lead for Tokomaru Bay Lillian Te Hau-Ward spoke of the trauma of dealing with seven extreme weather events in the past 18 months and the impact of forestry slash on her whanau and community. She said forestry employed their people, but at the expense of community wellbeing. It had destroyed their ecosystems and the blame lay with central government which allowed the land to be sold to foreign companies.

There was also criticism of the Emissions Trading Scheme at the hui on Wednesday, and the way it was set up.

A third member of the panel Dave Brash, who led the recovery effort after the Kaikoura earthquakes, only joined the inquiry yesterday — filling a void when Bill Bayfield resigned.

Federated Farmers is calling for an urgent reset in the wake of Mr Bayfield standing down and the dramatic sacking of former forestry minister Stuart Nash.

Meat and wool chair Toby Williams said the land-use inquiry did not get under way until late February and its report was due on April 30. Federated Farmers believed this “ridiculously short” time frame needed to be extended so the issues could be thoroughly considered and all relevant evidence collected and analysed.

In a comment on the opinion page yesterday Dame Anne Salmond said the Waimata River Catchment Committee, which had produced a detailed report on the impacts of forestry slash on the river, had been treated with “extreme discourtesy” by the inquiry. The commissioner was late, PowerPoint facilities were not available and they were ushered out before their allowed time was up and they were still speaking.

“If this is the kind of treatment that community members whose properties were severely damaged by slash during Cyclone Gabrielle can expect, the inquiry is worse than a waste of time,” she said.

In Parliament yesterday Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said he was confident that the inquiry would result in a robust review.

There is, however, a strong view in some of the communities affected that the inquiry is a rushed one.