‘No real solutions’ in Ministerial Inquiry into Land Use in Tairāwhiti

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

The New Zealand Institute of Forestry (NZIF) says the Tairāwhiti land use inquiry report is recommending measures that will stop the very activities which are vital for the region’s recovery.

NZIF president James Treadwell said the Ministerial Inquiry’s report failed to examine the region’s economic options, nor did it suggest solutions to mitigate against the effects of climate change. The focus was on dealing just with forest waste, rather than wider land use issues.

“The call for an immediate halt to clear felling in the Tairāwhiti region is not viable, nor is the recommendation of a 40-hectare harvest coupe limit and green up requirements.”

“This would increase wind throw around clearfell boundaries and likely need more roads to be built. The result would be a massive economic loss for forest owners who will have to delay harvesting their blocks and could see increased tree loss from wind throw.

“The Tairāwhiti community will bear the brunt of the effects from that loss. Without the economic activity generated from forestry, jobs will be lost and reinvesting in infrastructure to mitigate against future storms will be incredibly challenging.”

The report also placed the onus unduly on overseas forest owners, claiming that these companies had contributed to poor land use and the presence of woody debris.

“Many of New Zealand’s forests are investment partnerships — predominantly New Zealand shareholders and partners, not to say wholly New Zealand-owned companies and farm woodlots.

“All forestry companies harbour important community benefits, generating economic activity.

"These companies — whether NZ or foreign-owned — must also meet stringent criteria in order to operate.

“Both Huiarua and Matanui Stations mentioned in the report have been planted in a mix of native trees and pines as part of the owners’ corporate responsibility and to ensure integrated land use. Forestry activities in the Waiapu Valley have also seen the number of pupils at the local school triple.

“The report broaches the complexity of Tairāwhiti’s landscape and details the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle, but offers no real or specific solutions to land use problems or mitigating the effects of climate change.”

Forestry slash accounted for only 4 percent of the woody debris deposited in Hawke’s Bay — a figure omitted from the report. The remainder of that debris came from riparian plantings of willows, poplars and native trees, he said.

“Establishment of a Woody Debris Task Force is a good idea, however, given that forestry slash accounted for such a small proportion of the woody debris, the cost of the clean-up and composition of the taskforce should be inclusive of a wider group of parties — pastoral farming, for example, whose contribution to sedimentation is glossed over in the report.”