The McGillicuddy Serious Party today announced it's plans to prevent future disaster along the lines of the previous weeks floodings in southern rural New Zealand.

"Misdirected government assistance and irrigation schemes are clearly not what the region needs, as these will only paper over the short term cracks whilst leaving the underlying causes untouched." said (temporary) Environment spokesperson Bernard Smith. "It is clear that the entire region needs long term solutions that actually look at the background to recent events and address the causes directly.

To this end, the McGillicuddy Serious Party proposed to reforest up to 95% of the Southern half of the South Island, with an intermediary cover crop of gorse, in transition to native forests over a period of 30 years."

It is estimated that up to 2% of this area would be needed to meet Otago's occasional timber needs, and will be located closer to areas of human activity accordingly.

McGillicuddy research has found that Central Otago has a much more stable climate under total forest conditions, and particularly in the area of rainfall levels, virtually eliminating both droughting and flooding from the area, and guaranteeing fairly constant conditions from year to year.

Another side to the policy that is expected to go down particularly well, is that it is the first solution proposed that will finally stick it to the rabbits. "And if they don't like the taste of Gorse, they're unlikely to wait around 20 years for the Beech!" said Mr. Smith.

It is clear that all other solutions provided by other, sillier parties, are merely stopgap measure to ensure that in another five or ten years time, politicians will have another reason to visit the area casting promises this way and that. The McGSP is the only party that truly has any intention of solving the problem, and leaving the area to look after itself, without governmental interference.

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