A Nelson forestry forum started last year lasted about 10 months before disbanding, but its former partners say its positive impact is continuing on the ground.
The Nelson City Council environment committee was told in an update on the Maitai Forestry Forum this week that both Tasman Pine Forests and Koata Limited had withdrawn from the forum due to 'negative press' and the forum subsequently 'basically stopped running'.
The forum initially consisted of Friends of the Maitai, Koata Ltd, PF Olsen, Tasman Pine, Cawthron Institute, and council representatives and advisors. It was started after the Friends of the Maitai group proposed the forum in May last year, and had meetings in August, September and November last year.
The council's environmental programmes advisor, Susan Moore-Lavo, said both Tasman Pine and Koata Ltd had withdrawn after 'some negative press that ... undermined some of the good faith that was happening in the forum'.
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Ngāti Koata owns a large proportion of forestry operations in the Maitai catchment, to which Tasman Pine had cutting rights. Iwi trust chairman Frank Hippolite had previously said the iwi was 'locked into' forestry by its Crown settlement.
The negative press was a report on a public submission by a Friends of the Maitai spokesman in March this year, in which he highlighted a lack of regulation on clear-cut logging and said that radiata pine forestry was the group's 'number one concern' regarding Maitai river health.
Moore-Lavo said the report 'took a very negative view of Tasman Pine in particular ... that's the part that was picked out as opposed to positive things'.
And the work continues. Uncategorized I have updated the Album Journal with some updates on the last few sessions that includes a link to a short fun video of the latest efforts. According to the Florida Department of Transportation, work continues on the Pensacola Bay Bridge, which has been closed since sustaining damage from Hurricane Sally in September. (Courtesy: Florida Department of Transportation). Some areas protected as Formosa's Louisiana work continues 2 months 1 week 1 day ago Thursday, November 05 2020 Nov 5, 2020 November 05, 2020 6:11 AM November 05, 2020 in News Source: Associated Press.
'Tasman Pine felt they were exposed through the forum to have that negative portrayal of them when they felt they had been coming with goodwill to the table and working with the other partners in the group. So it was, from their point of view, they felt that it was more productive to have those conversations directly.'
She said there had been discussions between the council and Tasman Pine and Koata Ltd, and a separate meeting between Friends of the Maitai and Tasman Pine to 'try and smooth over the relationship', but the forum had 'basically stopped running'.
Guidance published by the government yesterday revealed that much of the work being carried out by the housing sector will be allowed to continue as it was during the tier system. Under the new rules, which were announced last night and are already in force across England, people are being ordered to stay at home until at least 15 February.
'It's more that the format of the forum perhaps does not exist, but the relationship continues and the work continues.'
However, Tasman Pine chief operating officer Steve Chandler said that while the negative coverage was a 'concern at the time ... that we weren't that happy about', it was 'not a major issue'.
'We just felt that it was time to actually put the rubber on the road,' he said.
'What we're doing is liaising directly with Friends of the Maitai.
'The forum was very useful for information-sharing, but we got to the point where we'd shared all the information and it was time to get on with it.'
He said part of Tasman Pine's liaison with the Friends of the Maitai included site visits, demonstrating operational changes since the new freshwater standards had come in, and imminent water monitoring efforts with Friends of the Maitai member and former hydrologist Tom Kennedy.
'We're not actually doing any harvesting in the Maitai [catchment] for at least a decade, so we've certainly got time to work through any issues or concerns that the Friends [of the Maitai] have.'
The Nelson City Council environment committee was told in an update on the Maitai Forestry Forum this week that both Tasman Pine Forests and Koata Limited had withdrawn from the forum due to 'negative press' and the forum subsequently 'basically stopped running'.
The forum initially consisted of Friends of the Maitai, Koata Ltd, PF Olsen, Tasman Pine, Cawthron Institute, and council representatives and advisors. It was started after the Friends of the Maitai group proposed the forum in May last year, and had meetings in August, September and November last year.
The council's environmental programmes advisor, Susan Moore-Lavo, said both Tasman Pine and Koata Ltd had withdrawn after 'some negative press that ... undermined some of the good faith that was happening in the forum'.
READ MORE:
* Agreement reached over public access to mountainbike trails
* Nelson public suggest alternative options for council forestry
* Maitai restoration attracts $2 million more funding for restoration
Ngāti Koata owns a large proportion of forestry operations in the Maitai catchment, to which Tasman Pine had cutting rights. Iwi trust chairman Frank Hippolite had previously said the iwi was 'locked into' forestry by its Crown settlement.
The negative press was a report on a public submission by a Friends of the Maitai spokesman in March this year, in which he highlighted a lack of regulation on clear-cut logging and said that radiata pine forestry was the group's 'number one concern' regarding Maitai river health.
Moore-Lavo said the report 'took a very negative view of Tasman Pine in particular ... that's the part that was picked out as opposed to positive things'.
And the work continues. Uncategorized I have updated the Album Journal with some updates on the last few sessions that includes a link to a short fun video of the latest efforts. According to the Florida Department of Transportation, work continues on the Pensacola Bay Bridge, which has been closed since sustaining damage from Hurricane Sally in September. (Courtesy: Florida Department of Transportation). Some areas protected as Formosa's Louisiana work continues 2 months 1 week 1 day ago Thursday, November 05 2020 Nov 5, 2020 November 05, 2020 6:11 AM November 05, 2020 in News Source: Associated Press.
'Tasman Pine felt they were exposed through the forum to have that negative portrayal of them when they felt they had been coming with goodwill to the table and working with the other partners in the group. So it was, from their point of view, they felt that it was more productive to have those conversations directly.'
She said there had been discussions between the council and Tasman Pine and Koata Ltd, and a separate meeting between Friends of the Maitai and Tasman Pine to 'try and smooth over the relationship', but the forum had 'basically stopped running'.
Guidance published by the government yesterday revealed that much of the work being carried out by the housing sector will be allowed to continue as it was during the tier system. Under the new rules, which were announced last night and are already in force across England, people are being ordered to stay at home until at least 15 February.
'It's more that the format of the forum perhaps does not exist, but the relationship continues and the work continues.'
However, Tasman Pine chief operating officer Steve Chandler said that while the negative coverage was a 'concern at the time ... that we weren't that happy about', it was 'not a major issue'.
'We just felt that it was time to actually put the rubber on the road,' he said.
'What we're doing is liaising directly with Friends of the Maitai.
'The forum was very useful for information-sharing, but we got to the point where we'd shared all the information and it was time to get on with it.'
He said part of Tasman Pine's liaison with the Friends of the Maitai included site visits, demonstrating operational changes since the new freshwater standards had come in, and imminent water monitoring efforts with Friends of the Maitai member and former hydrologist Tom Kennedy.
'We're not actually doing any harvesting in the Maitai [catchment] for at least a decade, so we've certainly got time to work through any issues or concerns that the Friends [of the Maitai] have.'
Friends of the Maitai spokesman Steven Gray said the forum had stopped meeting during the Covid-19 pandemic, but the group had a 'very productive' relationship with Tasman Pine 'privately' since the end of the forum.
'It looks like the forestry practices have really been lifted in terms of removing slash ... [and] different sediment traps.
'Because we've been able to establish informal, one-on-one relationships with Tasman Pine, we feel a bit better informed about what they're doing and how they're doing it and that's been really positive.'
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He said in terms of the health of the Maitai, the upcoming riparian planting, weed control and ecology restoration were all 'really positive' steps.
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'We're feeling like progress has been made.'
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Both Chandler and Gray cited the new Government freshwater policy as contributing to the improved forestry operations and water quality.
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Mayor Rachel Reese said the forum had been making some 'real progress' and its dissolution was 'a real lesson'.
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'What I have seen is an increased desire to shame,' she said.
'What I have found is that shaming has a very negative impact on relationships between people, and ultimately what it does is it actually reduces our ability to get people working together. So I think we have to be very mindful of that.'
