19 August 2005
PM listens to Green call on Waitangirua and Whareroa

The Green Party is delighted the Government has decided to stop the sale of the Waitangirua and Whareroa Farm Parks on the Kapiti Coast into private, possibly foreign, ownership.

Conservation Minister Chris Carter has announced that the two Landcorp parks will instead be purchased by the Department of Conservation and kept in public ownership.

"These farm parks should never have never been on the blocks in the first place," Green Co-Leader Rod Donald says.

"I told the Prime Minister so at our last meeting three weeks ago. Helen Clark had been unaware of the negative impact selling these farms parks would have and it was to her credit that she then promised to look into ways to keep them in public ownership.

"I am obviously delighted the Prime Minister has now responded promptly and positively to the Greens' preferred solution of transferring both Waitangirua and Whareroa to DOC, the option that ensures that all New Zealanders will be able to enjoy them for generations to come.

"The land in question used to belong the Lands and Surveys Department and has always been earmarked for public use, so we were horrified that a Labour Government was considering selling them, especially when they have attacked National for wanting to do the same thing.

"This outcome will be applauded by everyone in the Greater Wellington region and especially the local lobby groups who took the trouble to show me and Nikki Harvey, the Greens' Mana candidate, around them last month.

"So congratulations to the Guardians of Whareroa and the Friends of Belmont Regional Park and all the other groups that have campaigned so hard to preserve these green spaces that will be so valuable as urbanisation surrounds them," Mr Donald says.

ENDS

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