Cunliffe OK with Coast MPs crossing floor on timber bill

TWO Labour MPs crossed the floor yesterday to vote in support of a bill allowing the recovery of native timber felled in a cyclone.

Parliament went into urgency to pass the West Coast Windblown Timber Bill through all its stages.

Labour opposed the legislation after its bid to have it heard by a select committee was rejected by National. However, South Island MPs Damien O’Connor and Rino Tirikatene broke ranks to back the new law.

Leader David Cunliffe gave them his blessing. ‘‘Damien and Rino are acting as local MPs and as such the Labour caucus and I support them,’’ he said.

O’Connor, the West Coast Tasman MP, asked the Government to amend the bill to ensure locals would get preferential access and the major benefits of the extrac- tion of windblown trees.

‘‘While I am disappointed Conservation Minister Nick Smith will not amend the legislation to guarantee West Coasters get much-needed jobs and revenue, I still believe this timber should be utilised,’’ he said.

Smith announced last week that the Government would pass special legislation to allow the recovery of high-value native timber blown over in April’s Cyclone Ita.

Yesterday he was forced to defend a $6344 helicopter trip to fly three ministers, two television crew and a photographer to the West Coast for a photo opportunity last week.

The Department of Conservation chartered two helicopters for ministers Smith and Peter Dunne and Maori Party co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell to fly from Nelson to Blue Duck Creek in Karamea, and back. They were ac- companied by one reporter and two camera operators from TV3 and TVNZ, a photographer from the Nelson Mail and a handful of advisers.

Smith said it was ‘‘absolutely’’ worth it because he was taking the opportunity to explain the damage to the public.

‘‘In my view it was a responsible use of public money taking major media organisations to see first-hand the scale of the damage, to be able to see that damage firsthand myself and with the Maori and UnitedFuture parties that are clearly having to make a decision in Parliament.’’

He denied DOC was cashstrapped and said there will be ‘‘many millions of dollars’’ in royalties from the recovery of timber for the department. Since 2012, about $67 million has been slashed from DOC’s budget, leading to the loss of more than 70 jobs.