Alan Emerson: Good sense and stewardship heading south

Gore council is the latest to abandon reason in pursuit of an agenda

I’m starting to think there must be something in the water in our southernmost province. Last week I wrote about the 3000 Southland farmers who will require a permit to farm, largely due to the cunning stunts of Southland Fish & Game.

Sites of significance to Maori - Gore district

The Gore District Plan proposes to classify the entire Gore District under the Sites and Areas of Significance to Maori part of Section 6 of the RMA - Laurie Paterson of Groundswell explains it

Peter Burke: Gloves off over Gore district plan

Provisions in the Gore District Council's proposed district plan could have a "chilling effect" on everyday farming activities.

That's the view of Southland Federated Farmers president, Jason Herrick, who says a section in the plan designates the whole district as a 'Site and Area of Significance (SAMS) to Māori’, rather than just identifying specific sites as is the case with the present plan.

Herrick says the implication of such a blanket approach will mean that no farming activity, however mundane, can take place without a cultural report being prepared. He says this is a highly unusual approach to handling iwi interests.