RUAPEHU MOUNTAIN CLUBS ASSOCIATION (INC.)
Address: 6 Harvest Court,
PARAPARAUMU
Secretary Treasurer: John Rockell
Phone 04 902 4415
Fax 04 902 4413
E-mail:
3 March 2003.
To Member Clubs Newsletter 36 The Management Plan. You will have received from DoC a copy of the January 2003 draft of their Tongariro National Park Management Plan with an accompanying letter which invites comment and submissions until 28 March 2003. RMCA representatives have had some preliminary discussion with DoC and will shortly be meeting again after which a submission will be made on behalf of RMCA and clubs. The view held by the RMCA representatives is that the plan is generally very good and will provide DoC with the direction to ensure the park is managed to maintain its qualities for all those who enjoy it. Having said that, there is one issue that particularly concerns RMCA. The draft plan proposes that “existing buildings, structures and services will be removed if they cease to be necessary or desirable for any approved use in the park…” and “Concessionaires will be responsible for the removal of their own buildings, structures and services.”. Members will recall from the last AGM that DoC’s Area Manager, Mark Davies, speaking about clubs’ septic tanks after sewerage reticulation had said that they must be removed except for those which on a case by case basis, had been approved for fire-fighting purposes. RMCA representatives believe that in many cases the removal of septic tanks would be more damaging, environmentally than would be their retention. The RMCA submission will argue this point and clubs may rely on RMCA if they wish. Clubs can, of course, make their own submissions and RMCA President, Bill Chrystall has suggested that clubs might well make a submission about the removal of their own and others’ septic tanks. He stresses that submissions should based on the environmental impact of removing the tanks and not on any real or perceived high cost of removal – environmental organisations tend not to be sympathetic to cost! Bill will be out of New Zealand until the end of March and because of his absence has asked Alan Thompson to look after the preparation of the RMCA submission. If you have any queries or suggestions on this subject you may e-mail them to either Alan or me until 8 March but after that date I will also be away until 28 March. Alan’s contact addresses are: Alan Thompson, 27 Duart Rd, Havelock North, 06 876 6603 (home), 06 878 9300 (work) e-mail Kind regards John Rockell, Secretary Treasurer.