The Department of Conservation needs to act and install a much needed toilet at Ben Lomond Saddle, or the popular tourist destination’s impressive reputation will be flushed away, Clutha-Southland’s MP Hamish Walker says.

“Approximately 35,000 people walk to the summit annually and this number is growing year by year.

“The necessary infrastructure is not currently in place and there is a major environmental problem developing with piles of human feaces and toilet paper spread across a large area, getting worse every year.

“As the track’s popularity continues to grow this issue will get bigger, it needs to be sorted now with the installation of a toilet to futureproof the track and protect the natural environment.

“The land owners voluntarily offer access to members of the public, but the growing mess could jeopardise this access.”

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Gordon Campbell: On Chilling The Warm Fuzzies About The US/China Trade Deal

Hold the champagne, folks. This week’s China/US deal is more about a change in tone between the world’s two biggest economies – thank goodness they’re not slapping more tariffs on each other! - than a landmark change in substance. The high walls of US and Chinese tariffs built in recent years will largely remain intact, and few economists are predicting the deal will significantly boost the growth prospects for a slowing US economy. As the New York Times noted this morning, the likes of New Zealand will still face the trade barriers imposed by the Trump administration during the recent rounds of fighting. More>>