Brian Connell

National Forestry Spokesperson

13 April 2004

Government stifles foresty growth

New Zealand's third biggest export earner is under threat from the Government's climate change legislation, says National's Forestry spokesman, Brian Connell.

Mr Connell's comments come in response to figures just released by Statistics New Zealand which show new areas planted in forestry have decreased to 22,500 hectares for the year ended 31 December 2002.

"This is down 34 percent on the previous year, and indications from industry experts is that figures for the 2003 year will be even worse," says Mr Connell.

"Foresters are reluctant to plant new areas because the Government's climate change legislation will penalise them to the tune of between $20,000 and $25,000 per hectare if they change their land use.

"The climate change legislation is turning investors away in their droves.

"This will be disastrous for the industry, and these figures should have alarm bells ringing in the Minister's office.

"The forest industry is projected to earn about $20 billion in the year 2025, but this figure is in danger of being torpedoed.

"The Government was keen to nationalise forestry credits, so now they should front up and assume the liabilities as well.

"They have placed one of our biggest employing and export earning industries in jeopardy and they should be held to account," Mr Connell says.

Ends

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>