Injunction No 2 stops logger removing rimu

The Wanganui District Council yesterday closed a loophole to prevent Wildlife Properties removing ancient rimu in the Taunoka Conservation Area, as the Department of Conservation examined how it could buy back the company's logging rights.

The Environment Court yesterday granted the council a second interim injunction against Wildlife Properties owner Chris Bergman, said Wanganui Mayor Michael Laws.

This was required after Mr Bergman exploited a loophole in the original injunction by moving some of the logs from Taunoka to a private property, before transporting them to his mill at Patea.

The first injunction was obtained after Mr Bergman reneged on an "in principle" agreement to halt logging on the block until 2008.

"Today we plugged that loophole," Mr Laws said.

He had reached a "handshake deal" with Conservation Minister Chris Carter on Monday that DoC would pay 50 per cent of the council's legal costs in prosecuting Wildlife Properties for breaching the district plan.

The council claims Wildlife Properties has taken four times the 0.5ha allowed under the district plan, but Mr Bergman maintains council investigators incorrectly measured the amount of cleared forest.

"Certainly we will be arguing that all the logs milled should be forfeit to the council," Mr Laws said.

"Mr Bergman should not be allowed to profit from his actions."

About 100 rimu trees were felled from Taunoka in November and roughly 30 have been removed.

DOC's Wanganui conservator, Bill Carlin, said yesterday that alternative land and possibly cash could be offered to Wildlife Properties in exchange for logging rights at Taunoka that it holds until 2010.

"We've identified some areas he's interested in and we'll have a look at them," Mr Carlin said on National Radio.

Wildlife Properties' dispute with the council was a separate matter to the logging contract it held with DoC.

The department wanted to stop the company from felling more rimu at Taunoka, Mr Carlin said.

The area Mr Bergman had expressed an interest in was mainly grassland inland from Waverley and Patea.

DoC would meet the company next week in a bid to resolve the issue.

- NZPA