Landcorp on National sell list

By AUDREY YOUNG

A National Government would sell the $500 million state-owned asset Landcorp, leader Bill English said yesterday.

He said it would be the only definite state-asset sale.

The party has promised to consider the sale of Kiwibank but has no policy to put other SOEs on the block, Mr English confirmed yesterday during a visit to the Greens-held Coromandel electorate.

He was greeted by a three-person Greens protest at Thames airport welcoming him to "GE-free Coro".

Accompanying him was National candidate Sandra Goudie and environmentalist list candidate Guy Salmon.

But at No 20 on the list, he would struggle under present polling to be elected.

Mr English announced the asset-sale policy as part of the party's environment and conservation policy.

The proceeds of the sale would go into a fund to improve land management practises.

It could help subsidise farmers to fence their waterways from livestock, for example, to improve the quality of river water.

Landcorp is New Zealand's biggest farmer with 110 farms covering 383,000ha and a staff of 377. It made $15.8 million in the year to June last year.

It was established as an SOE in 1987 to manage the commercial arm of the former Lands and Survey department.

"It's much more important for New Zealand that we have sustainable agriculture than that the Government owns farms," Mr English said.

"There is a high and growing level of understanding in the farming community about the need for sustainable agriculture."

The "sustainable and eco-restoration fund" would focus on practical projects to protect or upgrade soil, water and biodiversity.

Other elements of the policy include:

* Introducing a national standard for landfills and requiring all substandard landfills to be closed or upgraded by 2010.

* Establishing a royal commission on freshwater resources and ecosystems.

* Requiring the Environmental Risk Management Authority to review the use of 1080 poison.

* Broadening the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority to wastage of materials and renaming it the Zero Waste Authority.

* Creating nine new marine reserves in the next three years.

* Establishing more "mainland habitat island" - sanctuaries free from introduced pests and where endangered species are placed.

* Investing more to control possums, stoats, ferrets, weasels, rats, cats and rabbits.

Mr Salmon said cat control was necessary for the mainland habitat islands to work. They existed already but not near built-up areas.

Mr English said while the Greens opposed GM, it could be used to address tragedies like the devastation of Fiordland National Park by possums.

"It's extraordinary they have got such a fundamentalist approach because one of the solutions to environmental tragedy could be the genetic modification of possums, or something that they eat."

Mr English was not worried that another nine reserves on top of the 13 created by National in the past would limit the ability of New Zealand children to fish recreationally.

Reserves built up the fish stock to give them something to catch.

Mr English toured the Thames coast to see the effect of the weather "bomb" on July 20, including the Waiomu Bay caravan park where a woman lost her life after being swept away in a deluge, and a community centre where donated goods are being sent.

He was also hosted by a couple in Paeroa, Keith Atwood and Jill Bradley, who produce an organic seaweed-based conditioner for soil, animals and plants.

Their factory was a "GE-free" zone. Mr Atwood said he would invite anyone to have a cup of tea with him regardless of their politics.

"We are just open to letting people know what we're about."

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