The proposal for Ministers to unilaterally impose marine reserves over our coastal water without assessing the economic impact is foolish in the extreme, ACT Environment Spokesman Gerry Eckhoff said today.

"They have done this despite it being regarded as irrelevant by the public and probably by the Labour Government. It appears as though Sandra Lee and the Alliance will impose their view on the economic direction this country should take.

"The former Forest and Bird director in the Minister's office will no doubt heed the call from Forest and bird Senior Researcher Barry Weeber to exclude New Zealanders from 20% of our coastal waters.

"The Department of Conservation also controls one third of New Zealand's land which is also excluding New Zealanders from the economic advantages our land offers.

"This Alliance-driven policy of crippling the New Zealand economy by locking up resources in the name conservation looks set to continue as election year bribes start to surface.

"Sandra Lee still has not worked out that conservation and production do not have to be mutually exclusive. The Alliance however do believe in political patronage where politicians decide who gets what as Jim Anderton's personal distribution of $100 million to his favourite causes illustrates," Gerry Eckhoff said.

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