Connell repents forestry blunder

National MP Brian Connell has been "led to see the error of my ways".

The party's forestry spokesman "clarified" National's forestry policy after he had already released it to the Herald on Wednesday.

"It wasn't agreed to by the National board and has never been on the web-page," he said.

National's policy was not to allow logging of Crown-owned indigenous forests, said Mr Connell.

The previous day, he had sent the party's forestry policy to the Herald by email. It said National would consider selective logging in some areas of Crown-owned forests, including the West Coast.

The policy is dated August 2005.

Yesterday, he said it was a "draft I circulated to industry" and was not official policy.

The papers the Herald received are not marked "draft".