In an age where natural resources are seen as a national or regional jackpot, it bewilders me to see truck loads of the Far North's buried treasure heading south.
I am certainly against mining for oil etc in this pristine part of New Zealand,and pulling swamp kauri logs out of the ground is tantamount to theft. Why aren't they staying in Northland to be worked and provide much-needed employment? We have some of the best artisans in the country who could turn these gems into saleable commodities while instilling new skills to our willing unemployed.
But no, we export them to Asia, so they can benefit from our inability to see the benefit to our community if we retained and worked these logs. Forty-five-thousand-year-old kauri, a finite resource that is silently leaving the area.
I guess money is the answer to the above ... a quick fix which is incredibly short-sighted.
Under Part 3A Forests Act (provisions on export of certain indigenous forest produce) 67C (3): "No indigenous timber (other than personal effects and any finished or manufactured indigenous timber products) may be exported from New Zealand."
Please stop this exploitation of our unique treasure. They are an incredible blessing to this area. It certainly can't be that hard to foster and nurture a resource for all Northlanders, not for the few that this industry has succoured.
We need every opportunity to engage in employment for those in Tai Tokerau, and these logs are a certain front runner.
Please stop, even if it takes another year or two to realise its full potential. I'm sure the logs can wait, as they have until now.
