Coast Mayor Calls For Oil Discovery Reports

The Mayor of the Westland District Council, John Drylie, is calling for reports about the discovery of oil on the West Coast 20 years ago. John Howard reports.

According to West Coasters, seismographic oil surveys were carried out in the 1980's around the town of Kumara situated between Hokitika and Greymouth. The surveys also included a wdier area including Whiskey Creek, Lake Brunner and Rotomanu. There are photographs taken at the time of people scooping raw crude oil into bottles from the Kotuku oil seep which surfaces near Lake Brunner.

Mayor Drylie said, "I was not on the Coast at the time but there will be reports of the surveys which I want released to us."

The Labour Government wants to stop beech logging on the Coast and although that issue is far from over, the discovery of oil might offer another hope for the future.

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