Council of Outdoor Recreation Associations of NZ Inc
P O Box 384 Marlborough
Election 2020
New Zealand Outdoor Recreation Charter
Council of Outdoor Recreation Associations of New Zealand Inc.
(CORANZ)
New Zealand urgently needs government policies that ensure the “well-being” of people, the economy and the environment while ensuring democracy is not eroded.
The individual conflict between education and erosion, between wisdom and waste and between democracy and dictatorial administration is escalating.
New Zealand’s society was set up to escape the feudal class-based system of the UK and the egalitarian culture of public ownership of fish and game was set up and enshrined in laws.
The legitimate right of all New Zealanders to a clean, uncontaminated, unspoilt environment was recognised while ensuring New Zealand’s economy operates efficiently and in a compatible way with the people’s interest, ecologically and environmentally.
Covid19 has exposed the deficiencies of past and present polices and the urgent need for a new style of prudent economic management based on greater self-sufficiency and greater emphasis on quality of life and the environment.
The questions for political parties and MPs below require one of three options to be selected, i.e. agree, disagree or undertake to review further. Further detail relative to each question is below. Feel free to add comments in replying.
Thank you
Andi Cockroft
Chairman
Council of Outdoor Recreation Associations of New Zealand Inc
Please reply to: – info@coranz.org.nz
Questions
- New Zealand should replace the index for national prosperity, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) based on solely economic indicators, with Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) based on three values – social, environmental and economic to thus fully measure the quality of life.
a. Agree
b. Disagree
c. We undertake to review
- Establish a population policy for New Zealand – relative to national, regional, cultural conflicts and immigration aspects.
a. Agree
b. Disagree
c. We undertake to review
- Support concept of “Clean, Green New Zealand” – clean rivers and lakes, no indiscriminate toxins and an efficient bio-security system to prevent undesirable imports entering NZ.
a. Agree
b. Disagree
c. We undertake to review
- Recognition of freshwater (e.g. trout, salmon, perch etc.,) and saltwater fish, game birds (e.g. pheasant, quail, chukar etc) and game animal (e.g. deer, wapiti, tahr, chamois etc.,) resources as valued species publicly owned with full, equal and proper public access to them.
a. Agree
b. Disagree
c. We undertake to review
- Impose stricter controls on foreign ownership of New Zealand land, including accurate statistics about the extent of foreign ownership of urban properties, farm and forestry lands and businesses.
a. Agree
b. Disagree
c. We undertake to review
- Fair and adequate public input into decision-making is vital and must be restored. Over recent decades restrictions have unfairly been placed on speaking times to committees both central and local government
a. Agree
b. Disagree
c. We undertake to review
- Recognition that the Treaty of Waitangi was about forming one integrated society without privilege based on wealth or ethnic background and that the intention was to establish an egalitarian society with public access to outdoor resources for all.
a. Agree
b. Disagree
c. We undertake to review
- That the tradable quota management system (QMS) for the sea fishery resource be assessed by an independent, credible enquiry.
a. Agree
b. Disagree
c. We undertake to review
- The aerial poison regime with 1080 and brodifacoum be immediately stopped.
a. Agree
b. Disagree
c. We undertake to review
- Conduct a review by an independent and credible commission into the Department of Conservation’s performance and priorities
a. Agree
b. Disagree
c. We undertake to review
- Implement a meaningful, mandatory and scientifically valid National Environmental and Recreational Standard for Water and reverse the current degradation of fresh water.
a. Agree
b. Disagree
c. We undertake to review
- Governments should not use a free market trading ethos to solve environmental threats, e.g. tradable carbon credits serve no purpose to “global warming”, are uneconomic and detrimental ecologically with pine monoculture resulting.
a. Agree
b. Disagree
c. We undertake to review
- No purchase or selling of rights or access to recreational fishing or hunting be allowed. (Currently embodied in Section 23, Wildlife Act, for ducks and game birds) and trout and salmon Section 26ZN Conservation law Reform Act). A loophole that exploiters argue they’re only charging for access not the recreational rights, be closed by adding the phrase, “or access thereto”.
a. Agree
b. Disagree
c. We undertake to review
- That firearm laws be based on the premise of the suitability of the person.
a. Agree
b. Disagree
c. We undertake to review
Further detail and explanation relative to these questions:
- Economists are increasingly recognising the futility and short-sightedness of GDP. If GDP is analysed per capita, New Zealand has failed.
- New Zealand needs a population policy – relative to national, regional, cultural conflicts and immigration aspects. People put demands on resources, both land, water, energy, fishery and other resources. Establish a Ministry of Population.
- Political parties in the pre-2017 election campaigns pledged to stop the continuing decline of freshwater both in quality and quantity i.e. flow. Climate change rends, if continuing, will only exacerbate the dire situation as currently exists.
- In some circles, species such as trout, salmon, deer and other game animals are wrongly classed as “invasive” because ideologues class them as “introduced”. Thus so are humans “introduced” as are the basics for agriculture. It evolved – with trout, deer sheep, cattle etc., – into today’s national 21st century ecosystem.
- Foreigners, after scrutiny and approval, can lease land long-term with the mandatory proviso that any lessee purchaser must become a registered New Zealand citizen and reside in New Zealand for nine months of every year. Public access be not undermined by foreign leases and enhanced in the conditions of approval.
- Democracy is vital. Democracy is never a done thing. Democracy is always something a nation must be doing. In recent years select committees severely restrict a submitter’s time o just “several” minutes or less – making it useless “token consultation”.
- Work towards returning New Zealand into a harmonious, egalitarian society in line with Article 3. No comment is needed as this issue is well publicised in the light of on-going, never ending treaty claims. It seems within iwi only a relative few benefit.
- The rights of the non-commercial sea fishing public should be paramount or at least equal to other sectors and written clearly into law and clearly implemented in all fisheries management decisions. Sea fisheries management and implementation of policies must be based on the principle of “more fish in the water”. Issues around political donations by fishing corporates, cameras on boats and fish dumping have been well publicised.
- New Zealand – the size of Colorado State – uses over 90% of the world’s 1080. 1080, originally developed as an insecticide, kills every oxygen breathing creature- invertebrates, birds, animals – that ingests it. Poisoned carcasses retain toxicity and become poisoned baits to scavengers such as birds (e.g. kea). Research shows with 4 years rat populations bounce back to become 4 times original numbers. Stoats preying on rats then also undergo a population ‘explosion’
- The public has lost much confidence in the Department of Conservation. It has involved itself in commercial undertakings, at times with corporate partnerships. It needs review and rearranging.
DOC’s statutory obligation to outdoor recreation and access should be fully and properly recognised by adopting the name Department of Conservation and Outdoor Recreation (DOCOR).
Fundamentally DOC must protect and maintain the public lands conservation estate embracing the 21st century ecosystem and not trying to recreate and preserve a hypothetical pre-human world. - Pre-2017 election political parties pledged to begin the task of restoring degraded rivers. This is not only a dire ecological and environmental matter but human health. In Canterbury the NZ Federation of Freshwater Anglers scientific team has found nitrate levels well above human health standards. Canterbury’s district officer of health has urged immediate study. Bureaucrats have rejected that despite a Danish study of 2.7 million people over 33 years linking low levels of nitrates in water – far below those allowed under current NZ drinking water standards – with colorectal cancer.
- Free market based tradable carbon credits are putting a value on pollution, and ultimately ensuring pollution.
- New Zealand must safeguard the egalitarian ethos applying to the outdoors and its associated recreation. Outdoor recreation is important to the health and wellbeing of its people both young and older and to outdoor-based tourism.
- The knee-jerk reaction by government and some police management following the tragic mosque massacre was to blame the firearm.
The firearm laws were already very practical, indeed the envy of other countries. NZ should hold to the principle of “firearms don’t kill people but people kill people.”
This is shown by statistics that in NZ homicides, firearms form a very low percentage. Besides on suitability, very arguably the mosque murderer should never have been granted a firearm licence.
About Us:
CORANZ is a council comprising a number of major national and regional outdoor recreation organisations. Its advocacy focuses on the common interests of “the million plus” New Zealanders who fish, hunt, shoot, tramp, ski, canoe, climb, walk, 4 wheel drive, mountain bike, or relax in New Zealand’s great outdoors.
CORANZ member associations/affiliations/liaisons include -NZ Federation of Freshwater Anglers (trout, NZ Salmon Anglers Association, Tread Lightly (4 WD, Public Access New Zealand, NZ Bowhunters Society, Legasea (recreational sea fishing), NZ Jet-boating Assn, Wellington Branch, NZ Deerstalkers Association, Wellington Family 4×4 Assn., Marlborough Recreational (Sea) Fishers Assn., Sporting Hunters Outdoor Trust (NZ) High Country Pleasure Riders Club (Horse riders).