Hall victim of ‘ponga protectors’

PUNAKAIKI

A PUNAKAIKI man says his community is the latest victim of what he calls ‘‘ponga protectors’’ after a failed bid to secure a small section of conservation land for a community centre.

Richard Arlidge was one of many from Punakaiki who argued for the release of Department of Conservation stewardship land at Dolomite Point, opposite the Pancake Rocks, for a hall the locals could use for meetings and classes.

The Buller District Council applied for the concession on the community's behalf but withdrew the request last week after waiting more than eight months for an answer.

‘‘It has become clear that there is a very low likelihood of the application being successful, given the statutory criteria on which Doc must make their decision,’’ council chief executive Sharon Mason said.

The criteria states Doc should not grant a concession if the activity could reasonably be located outside the conservation area.

‘‘At this time, council is not satisfied it can meet this requirement, and the decision has been made to withdraw . . . rather than spending additional money and time pursuing it,’’ Mrs Mason said.

Mr Arlidge said the process was a farce.

‘‘The Crown owns a third of New Zealand and here we are arguing over half a hectare. The whole of the West Coast is protected and neglected — we're the latest victims of the ponga protection league.’’

The site was once the Punakaiki School site, and was thrown into the Doc ‘‘stewardship grabbag’’ when the Forest Service was dismantled in 1987, he said.

The council put its request to Doc on hold in May while it investigated potential alternative sites for the hall, after spending $36,000 on the application, including technical reports. — Greymouth Star