Gisborne debris dispute nears resolution in Environment Court

Kanuka Forest is about 8km up Waimatā Valley Rd. Photo / Paul Rickard

Forestry companies involved in Gisborne District Council’s application for enforcement orders to resolve debris and sediment issues in Kanuka Forest will be able to file their proposed amended version of the orders to the Environment Court on Monday.

China Forestry Group (CFG, the owner of Kanuka Forest near Gisborne) and Wood Marketing Services Ltd (WMS, the forestry manager) have until the close of business on Monday to file their submission, while the council has until Friday next week to file its response.

Environment Court Judge Melinda Dickey said the various parties were close to each other’s positions.

The four-day case covered what had been an emotionally charged matter for parties and the region, said Dickey.

Vincent Udy, formerly the environmental planning manager for WMS, accepted the forestry industry had “lost its social licence”.

He was being cross-examined by Alamya Limmer, counsel for Mana Taiao Tairāwhiti, who was quoting from the Ministerial Inquiry into Land Use report

Udy also accepted (from the report) that the public had lost its trust in the industry.

He wanted to get that trust back and so did WMS.

Udy said Kanuka Forest had been a challenging environment.

At one time there had been a lot of rainfall and difficulty getting contractors because they were committed elsewhere.

One contractor was let go because he did not have the right skillset.

The hired excavator kept falling out of its tracks.

“It was quite frustrating,” he said.

We wanted to do the work.”

Udy said he could not state whether WMS was responsible for Kanuka Forest rather than CFG because he had not seen the contract.

He accepted the WMS website said the company actively managed the forest.

Asked if he was familiar with the nature of East Coast terrain, Udy replied that landscapes varied and he could only comment on forests he had entered.

The court heard WMS started its contract with CFG for Kanuka Forest in October 2021 and initially relied on two inspections by a consultant.

Udy said WMS did not act on the debris issues raised by the consultant and he had not visited the site “at that time”.

There were other examples of issues raised, including after a council aerial survey in September 2022 (log jams) and another council survey post-Cyclone Gabrielle (debris around Kanuka Forest and Waimatā River), which Udy said he became aware of after being contacted by the council.