Anti-1080 party growing
Bill Wallace says that forming a political party was ‘‘the last thing I want to be doing’’ but that is just what the former science teacher, marine farmer and helicopter pilot has done.
The Ban 1080 Party is a single issue party that Wallace hopes might attract votes from a large enough proportion of the 43 per cent of New Zealanders who say they are opposed to the use of 1080 to win a seat in parliament.
The Pakawau man says he had always tried to stay out of the 1080 debate but the news that a drop was planned for his beloved Tasman Wilderness Area (TWA) in the Eastern Kahurangi spurred him into action.
With just 12 weeks until the election, he has been busy signing up members to get the Ban 1080 Party on election papers across the country. How’s the 1080 party campaign coming along? I’ve lodged registration with more than 1000 members total and growing. You’ve sold your helicopter and are working full time on the party until September. Was this a major move for you? It’s certainly not a move I wanted, but I passionately believe there needs to be unpoisoned areas of NZ’s wilderness left, and given that the TWA has apparently healthy bird populations (and the Department of Conservation has no science to the contrary) it should be left alone, or at least a full assessment of the bird species and populations in there done first, and then a plan devised to protect any vulnerable species at their specific locations. What’s one thing you just can not live without? The knowledge that there are still some special remote unpoisoned areas left in NZ for future generations. What do you love about living in Golden Bay? The people, the lifestyle, the cafes, the acceptance of people for who they are. Tell us a little about your science and teaching background? I started at Otago, finished at Canterbury with a BSC and teaching diploma, then taught for two years at Nelson College for Girls, and later seven or eight years at Collingwood Area School. I taught science and senior biology and chemistry. What’s your motto in life? A person will never understand what their salary requires them to not understand. Why did you decide to start a political party? When I first became aware of the TWA drop plan, I whipped off some questions to the Conservator as to the science and justification for the drop. Those answers indicated virtually no science or knowledge of bird species present in TWA. I’ve been aware of other people fighting the 1080 battle for many decades but have little faith in meetings etc, after 22 years of meetings for more aquaculture in Tasman, and hey presto, it is election year, six weeks left (at that time) to get 500 members and see Ban1080 on every voting paper in NZ. And it will force the other parties to justify their support for 1080, and the insidious torturous deaths of native birds as well as introduced mammals. I didn’t want to do it, it’s the last thing I want to be doing, but sheer bureaucratic insanity on this scale has to be challenged What is it about the proposed drop in the TWA that spurred you into action? The area has been closed to all aerial access for over 30 years, denying access to possum trappers and hunters alike. DOC claims hunters and possumers effectively ‘‘farm’’ such areas, but their plan to aerially 1080 it after three decades of nothing is worse. If these 1080 applications for the TWA were the culmination of a thorough scientific survey of bird species and part of a long-term plan to enhance the breeding success of any vulnerable species, then it might warrant support. But it’s not, the TWA was not on the maps prior to Nick Smith’s announcement of extra funding, it is just somewhere to dump it in an election year with a budget surplus. There is no baseline survey of what species are present, there is no unpoisoned control area for comparison, and no plans for longterm ongoing monitoring. Given that you clearly feel 1080 is unnecessary and cruel, what do you see as a viable alternative? I understand the current selfsetting kill traps have limited kill capacity, but technology moves rapidly and modern nail guns can drive 1000 nails on a single cylinder of gas and a single battery charge, so rapid development in that area is possible. There are also poisons that have lower toxicity to birds and large mammals, but high toxicity to small mammals like possums, rats, stoats etc, such as cholecalciferol or PAP. They both cause rapid death compared to the many hours to days of terrifying struggles with 1080. I’m certainly not advocating replacing aerial application of 1080 with similar widespread aerial application of another poison, at least not without rigorous trialling and proof of zero risk to native birds. If not aerial poisons, then what? There have been minimal investigations into what bird species and populations are in there, and anecdotally there are reasonable numbers of kiwi, kaka, kea, and blue duck. These valleys (Roaring Lion, Spey and Burgoo) are not difficult walking except for a gorge section in lower reaches of each. Rather than spending millions on 1080 in a single dump, why not drop off personnel to walk established trap and poison gel lines once a month and afford the birds year-round breeding season support, with an evening pick-up? The costs in helicopter time are probably similar or less. This process is used in Murchison mountains for takahe, and also in Oparara, Ugly and Kakapo rivers from Karamea. What is your favorite meal? Meat or fish and five veges. What do you do to de-stress? Bike, fish and still occasionally dive. How would you describe yourself? Elderly and surrounded by good loyal friends.