मुख्य तथ्य
- प्रदर्शनकारियों की संख्या
- 18
- स्थान
- नेल्सन के ट्राफलगर सेंटर के बाहर
- आयोजन
- 2026 टॉप ऑफ द साउथ वुड काउंसिल फॉरेस्ट्री अवार्ड्स
- क्षतिग्रस्त सड़कों की मरम्मत की अनुमानित लागत
- $3.19 मिलियन
- भूवैज्ञानिक क्षेत्र
- सेपरेशन पॉइंट ग्रेनाइट
- सरकारी निर्णय
- सभी योजना परिवर्तनों को रोकना
पृष्ठभूमि
Tasman residents are calling for tougher forestry regulations as the beachside village of Mārahau is repeatedly battered by severe weather and landslides. Forestry debris blanketed the area after Cyclone Gita in 2018, and the village was cut off during the June/July 2025 storms, with the second of two access roads only recently partially re-opened to traffic.
Much of the area sits on Separation Point Granite, an erosion-prone strip of bedrock that runs from the Abel Tasman National Park to Murchison. Landslides impacting roads and sedimentation filling up the Ōtūwhero Inlet and Sandy Bay were among the key issues that prompted 18 residents to protest outside the 2026 Top of the South Wood Council Forestry Awards on Friday evening at Nelson’s Trafalgar Centre.
वर्तमान स्थिति
Protester Marieann Keenan said she didn't have “any personal beef” with anyone at the awards. “It’s just that we’re tired of the damage being done to our community.” She said Separation Point Granite was not suitable for clear-fell forestry and the Tasman District Council needed to do more compliance monitoring because of the “destruction” forestry can cause.
Adam Langley, with the Split Apple Rock Owners’ Association (SAROA), also protested. “My bigger, broader concern is just the deterioration of the environment, but at the same time it’s causing a lot of disruption.” Ratepayers were bearing the cost of reinstating roads impacted by slips on deforested land, while native species were being driven from the area, he said.
Langley presented to the council’s annual plan hearings in May outlining the community’s “high degree” of concern, as did Chris Rutledge from the Mārahau and Sandy Bay Residents’ Association. The two groups have jointly complained to the council about its monitoring of forestry practices in the area.
| विवरण | मान |
|---|---|
| प्रदर्शनकारियों की संख्या | 18 |
| सड़क मरम्मत की अनुमानित लागत | $3.19 मिलियन |
| माराहौ में सेवानिवृत्त क्षेत्र | लगभग 120 हेक्टेयर |
| जून/जुलाई 2025 में भूस्खलन का प्रतिशत जो मूल वन से आया | लगभग 70 प्रतिशत |
प्रभाव
The total estimated cost associated with repairing roads within the Ōtūwhero catchment area that were damaged in the June/July 2025 storms was $3.19 million. Ratepayers are bearing the cost of reinstating roads impacted by slips on deforested land, while native species are being driven from the area, according to Langley.
Rutledge told Local Democracy Reporting that the council had not yet found the “right balance” of forestry and environmental regulations. “There aren’t appropriate controls in place to deal with forestry on Separation Point Granite,” he said. “We’re not saying, ‘You can’t have forestry here’, but at the moment, pretty much, you’ve got free rein.”
Council communications manager Chris Choat said several plans were being worked on, but “We just can’t put them in place because of the Government’s decision to hold all plan changes.” He said updated regulations would not be the “ultimate panacea” for the environmental changes that forestry was “exacerbating” as they were ultimately “natural”.
भविष्य की संभावनाएँ
Scenario analysis: The possibilities below are not certain predictions.
Rutledge understood that the Government had halted work on plan changes, which would allow forestry rules to be updated, but he wanted the council to lay the groundwork now to implement the new rules once the plan stop was lifted. “This is an important issue. It’s not going to go away, and it needs to be addressed.”
Forestry industry representatives say they are focused on making the area more resilient to future storms and protecting waterways. M&R Forestland Management, which has harvested in the Mārahau and Kaiteriteri areas in recent years, said their activities followed all relevant rules, and site-specific management plans contained earthwork requirements that were “more stringent” than the national regulations.
Forest Management Group oversees the re-establishment of the land after it was harvested and is returned to its iwi owners. Nelson manager Craig McMiken said about 120 hectares in Mārahau were retired from forestry and planted in mānuka to assist with soil stabilisation and transitioning to native forest. Sensitive sites, such as slips, were also planted in poplar due to their root strength. He added that a buffer strip was planted above the Riwaka-Sandy Bay Road, and that “living fences” of poplars will act as “slash traps” when further harvesting occurs in 25–30 years.
Source: scoop.co.nz
