Category Archives: Home

Opinion by Tony Orman On April 22, Stuff newspapers ran an opinion column by Andrew Shepherd, a senior lecturer in theology and public issues at the University of Otago. In the article Andrew Shepherd told of a tramping trip to … Continue reading →

Special Report A national angling conservation group opposes the government’s proposed legislation for fast track approvals for development projects. Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital … Continue reading →

Opinion by Rebekah White, “The Weekender” Turns out that we’ve been making decisions based on bad data: the fishing industry has been underreporting deaths of ocean wildlife, and the numbers of dolphins and birds being killed are drastically higher than … Continue reading →

Today is your last opportunity to make a submission on the proposed Fast-Track Approvals Bill. It doesn’t matter what your views are, just make your submission and make your feelings known. You have until midnight 19th April to make a … Continue reading →

Opinion by Tony Orman   Forest and Bird according to a recent article in the ”Southland Times” has applied for a judicial review of whether wapiti should be allowed in the Fiordland National Park. The Fiordland National Park has an … Continue reading →

Special report A government proposal to fast track development projects would further hasten the erosion of democracy and leave public lands wide open for commercial exploitation  according to the Council of Outdoor Recreation Associations of NZ (CORANZ).  In a written … Continue reading →

Book Review: “Foraging New Zealand” by Peter Langland’s. Published by Penguin, price $50.00 Reviewed by Tony Orman “Foraging New Zealand” by Canterbury’s Peter Langlands is a meticulously researched guide to foraging, i.e. gathering leaves and flowers for eating. Author Peter … Continue reading →

“Forest & Bird’s threatened legal action against Fiordland’s wapiti (elk) management programme would be a massive own goal for conservation,” says ACT Conservation spokesman Cameron Luxton. “For 13 years, DOC has had an arrangement with the Fiordland Wapiti Foundation, in … Continue reading →

Opinion by Tony Orman Introduction; In an article on “Newsroom”, Forest & Bird  has challenged the legality of the prized wapiti (elk) herd in the Fiordland National Park.When President Theodore Roosevelt of the United States made a gift of wapiti … Continue reading →

Special report Aerial drops of 1080 poison are of high cost to both the economy and ecology says an environmental and outdoor recreation advocacy. The Sporting Hunters Outdoor Trust described the frequency of 1080 drops that have recently been carried … Continue reading →

A proposal by Fisheries Minister Shane Jones for the farming of snapper has been described by an outdoor recreation organisation as “injudicious and a fallacy”.  Tony Orman, past chairman of the Council of Outdoor Recreation Associations and the New Zealand … Continue reading →

by Nick James for RNZ The Department of Conservation (DOC) spent nearly half a million dollars on an operation to kill one stoat. In August 2022 a male stoat was identified on Chalky Island/Te Kākahu-O-Tamatea, in Fiordland which has been predator-free since … Continue reading →

Press release   A temporary ban on some New Zealand fish exports to the United States has been lifted in a win for commonsense, says Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones and Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay.. The United States’ … Continue reading →

Press release by Legasea Last Friday the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, Shane Jones, made his first round of decisions for a range of fish stocks across New Zealand. While we hoped for a positive outcome, we have instead been … Continue reading →

Book Review “Alpine Panorama” by Andy Buchanan, published by Quentin Wilson Publishing, price $59.99. Reviewed by Tony Orman. On a clear winter’s day Canterbury’s snowcapped alpine skyline west of Christchurch is entrancing and with a magnetic appeal to Cantabrians and … Continue reading →

Media Release – Environmental Defence Society 7 March 2024 The government’s assault on the environment has stepped up several gears, with the introduction of a new fast track consenting law to Parliament today. This replaces the existing fast-track law which … Continue reading →

An opinion by Tony Orman New Zealand’s youth suicide rate is the second worst in the developed world at 14.9 deaths per 100,000 adolescents. This rate is more than twice the average among the 41 OECD countries surveyed (6.5 deaths … Continue reading →

Opinion by Tony Orman   A newspaper report in late January told of black-backed gulls behaving as predator to other native birds.So what? Predators in the New Zealand avian ecosystem are nothing new. The native falcon  (karearea) preys on small … Continue reading →

The NZ Outdoors and Freedom Party has expressed deep concern at reports that the Minister of Conservation and the National Party are contemplating charging New Zealanders to walk or day trip into the public’s national parks.   “New Zealand is … Continue reading →

Recent polling by Horizon Research shows deep seated distrust in Shane Jones as Minister of Ocean and Fisheries. Fifty seven percent (2,298,000 adults) believe donations from commercial interests run a risk of influencing decisions made by Members of Parliament and … Continue reading →