Prime Minister Helen Clark is "strongly opposed" to proposals to build a road between Collingwood in Golden Bay and Karamea on the West Coast.
Helen Clark said in Nelson yesterday that it was "long past the time where we felt the need in New Zealand to push a road through everywhere."
The idea, which had strong backing from Tasman and West Coast local body leaders, was being pushed hard by a group of businessmen, but Helen Clark's comments suggested it would be hard-pressed to win any sympathy from her Government.
She expressed concern about the effect the road would have on the Heaphy Track, saying she understood that in places the proposed route would go "pretty close to the track."
"We need to be portraying New Zealand as one of the last places which has got untouched wilderness areas ... where you can have a beautiful walk in a remote place without the traffic roaring in the distance."
She was not convinced by arguments that opening up the link between Golden Bay and the West Coast would benefit the Coast's economic development in particular.
"The Coast's future is going to lie in the natural advantages it has for eco-tourism.
"I don't, myself, believe a road between Collingwood and Karamea would add to that."
Helen Clark was also concerned about the upfront and ongoing costs of such a road.
The same issues led her to oppose proposals for a road linking Haast and Milford in South Westland.
- NZPA
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