National's logging chopped by Brash

National Party leader Don Brash stepped in and overrode his forestry spokesman yesterday, categorically denying that National would resume logging on the West Coast.

He said a document released by Brian Connell headed "forestry policy" was actually a discussion document that had not been ratified by the party's board.

Mr Connell released what he described as his policy to the Herald on Wednesday.

At no stage did he say it was draft policy.

Yesterday he said: "A review of allowing carefully selected areas of Crown-owned West Coast forests was included in an early draft of the policy that I circulated to the industry.

"National will not allow logging of Crown-owned indigenous forests." The statement was headed National Clarifies Forest Policy.

Dr Brash's clarification followed not only the article about Mr Connell's policy in the Herald but also contradictory comments from Mr Connell and conservation spokesman Nick Smith about the level of logging of indigenous trees.

Mr Connell told NZPA there would be more; Dr Smith told National Radio there would be less.

Dr Smith also said the policy was not yet released.

Dr Brash said in Dunedin that the policy would be released shortly but said:

"We will not be resuming logging in any form on the West Coast while I'm leader of the National Party".

The issue proved a distraction from his attempts to sell his party's $3.9 billion tax cut policy and is understood to have infuriated colleagues of Mr Connell.

Dr Brash said it was "not nearly as embarrassing as the PM's cavalcade through South Canterbury" but conceded: "It's unhelpful, certainly".

But Dr Brash gave Mr Connell the benefit of the doubt.

"There was clearly some confusion about whether this policy had been finally approved by the board or not," Dr Brash said.

Policy initiated by National's caucus, when approved by the caucus, goes to the policy consultation committee and then to the board.

Labour stopped all native logging on the West Coast soon after being elected in 1999 and negotiated a $120 million compensation package for the region.

The debacle gave Conservation Minister Chris Carter an opening to say National should be honest about its policy "because once again it is saying one thing to one group of people and a completely different thing to the rest of us".

- additional reporting: Ruth Berry and Ainsley Thomson