West Coast anti-1080 protester Pete Lusk has court win

Pete Lusk also questioned before his court appearance today whether he was actually allowed to go to the court. Photo / File

Veteran anti-1080 protester Pete Lusk successfully argued to have his bail conditions changed when he appeared before a registrar at the Westport District Court this morning.

The conditions had included prohibiting him from being within 200m of any Department of Conservation (DoC) address.

Lusk said that meant he couldn't even walk down Westport's main street because part of it was within 200m of the local DoC office.

The police agreed to change the distance to 100m, he said.

He had also questioned before his court appearance today whether he was actually allowed to go to the court, because it was within 200m of the DoC office, and was told he was.

His bail prohibits him from contacting any staff member of Opsec solutions, which provided security for recent 1080 operations, and from threatening or using violence against any Opsec or DoC staff.

Lusk was arrested and charged with trespass last week after an incident at a 1080 loading zone in Seddonville on September 24.

He said today his bail conditions relating to DoC were ridiculous, because the alleged trespass involved Ngai Tahu land.

A protest had been planned when he appeared in court today, but only three people turned up and none carried placards.

Lusk said he would plead not guilty, and defend himself, when he appeared in the Westport court next Thursday on the trespass charge.

His defence would be that he had acted in the public good.

"Any offence I may have committed is nothing compared with the crime of poisoning Mother Earth."

- Westport News