“It’s very specific around the highly-erodible soils of the Tairāwhiti district and out of this will come a series of recommendations that may well be applicable to forestry in general and land use practices up and down the East Coast,’’ Nash told Hawke’s Bay Today.
“But the wider you make this, the longer it will take and we needed a short, sharp, very targeted inquiry that dealt with the issue at hand.’’
The inquiry members are former government minister and Gisborne resident Hon Hekia Parata (Chair), former regional council chief executive Bill Bayfield, and forestry engineer Matthew McCloy.
“We needed to get some experts on board, because there’s a lot of he said, she said at the moment,’' said Nash.
“I’m of the belief that forestry actually is the answer to a lot of land use issues, but we do need to know what sort of trees and what sort of management regime needs to be undertaken in certain areas.
“There are different types of forestry: you’ve got your production forestry, your permanent forestry and you’ve got your natives and your exotics. Forestry can play a whole raft of roles right across our environment, but it’s getting that right which is the key.’’
The inquiry’s findings are due in April and, Nash added, might include recommendations that were applicable to Hawke’s Bay.
“But at this point, it is a really narrow inquiry, targeting a very specific region,’’ Nash said.
Wedd, meanwhile, couldn’t fathom why Nash would exclude the bulk of this region from the debate about slash.
“Soft, waffly talk and promises is not enough. We need action fast to prevent this happening again,’’ Wedd said in a release to media.
“Forestry is an industry we want to see succeed as it supports so many families across Hawke’s Bay and the East Coast, but there is an acute need to look at practices and look at whether penalties are required.
“There needs to be consequences and people here in Hawke’s Bay need assurance that they won’t be the victims of forestry slash again.”
