Gisborne District Council last month welcomed the Government’s funding announcement to provide additional capacity to progress forestry harvesting consents in Tairāwhiti over the next 12 weeks.
The one-off funding will help accelerate work on applications already underway and those expected during the current harvesting season.
Council Chief Executive Nedine Thatcher Swann says the funding is a welcome and practical contribution towards addressing the challenges facing the forestry sector and the region.
“We appreciate the Government recognising the importance of forestry to our regional economy and the need to support timely consenting decisions.
“Forestry supports local jobs, contractors, transport businesses, the port and many other businesses across Tairāwhiti. We want to see the industry operating successfully, with greater certainty and confidence, while ensuring risks to our communities and environment are appropriately managed.”
Ms Thatcher Swann says the funding provides an opportunity to make meaningful progress on consenting applications and strengthen the way council works with the sector.
“We recognise the importance of timely, efficient and practical consenting processes, and we are committed to doing our part to achieve that.
“At the same time, Tairāwhiti has some of the most erosion-prone land in New Zealand, with significant areas of plantation forestry on steep and vulnerable hill country.
“We have seen through successive severe weather events the consequences that poorly managed land disturbance and woody debris can have on communities, infrastructure and waterways.
“Our responsibility is to ensure consenting decisions reflect those risks, with conditions that are clear, workable and effective on the ground.”
Ms Thatcher Swann says the additional capacity will allow the council to focus on progressing applications, working constructively with applicants to resolve outstanding matters and supporting timely, well-informed decisions.
“This is an opportunity for council and the forestry sector to work together to make tangible progress over the next 12 weeks.
“We share the objective of enabling responsible forestry operations to proceed with greater certainty, while maintaining the protections our communities rightly expect.
“We are committed to making the most of this support and demonstrating progress.”
The council will continue working with government and the forestry sector to support timely, robust consenting and greater confidence in the process.
