For my money, whatever the outcome of any future court action, damage done to the local economy and to communities dependent on the forestry industry will be much greater than anything gained by hauling a few cowboy operators into line.
This claim is based on my personal knowledge and observations of the local forestry industry over the past 43 years living and farming adjacent to the biggest forestry estate in the region.
Since Cyclone Gabrielle wreaked havoc across East Coast farmland, there have been attempts to establish what happened, who or what was responsible, and what should be done in mitigation to avoid the worst aspects of destruction in the future.
But the trouble is not all groups (including those with oversight responsibilities) or individuals have the same objectives as one might expect.
While most groups outwardly showed support for an inquiry into what went wrong, those that have much to hide have done their best to influence the outcome. This does not enhance the credibility of recommendations for change.
We have seen how the Government manipulated the Parata Inquiry into land use on the East Coast to limit its ability to delve into areas where the true culprits would be exposed.
As a result, in spite of the inquiry team’s best efforts, we ended up with a “Clayton’s” version —which was exactly what the Government wanted.
Consequently, information that would lead to real change in sustainable management practices based on local knowledge was either suppressed or ignored in the final report.
I can provide photographic evidence of the real make-up of debris piles that have been cleared off the flats and left in heaps for burning. Most of the forestry debris in them is not what is commonly referred to as slash, but rather whole trees that were not harvested — their root systems intact.
That tells you a lot about where the truth lies.
Worse, two of the three entities equally responsible for the disaster — local and central government — will escape prosecution, leaving the “black sheep” forestry companies to carry the can for their mistakes.
So, what can we expect from this visit to our region by someone who is likely to be shown only what the people who invited him want him to see?
People should not be fooled into believing that Mana Taiao Tairāwhiti is anything other than similar pressure groups trying to establish themselves as benevolent promoters of everybody’s best interests.
It has its own agenda and if you read between the lines of its spokesperson’s commentary, you will discover that it has very narrow objectives within our community. Sadly, that doesn’t include the bulk of the population.
