Boy’s death puts heat on forestry

Moral responsibility for a child’s death on a slash-ridden Gisborne beach lies with the local forestry industry, the Environmental Defence Society says.

The young boy died on Waikanae Beach on Wednesday night, with the Gisborne Herald reporting witnesses saying he was struck by a floating log, which was part of wood slash – the debris left after harvesting – still in the water from Cyclone Hale.

Police described the incident as a ‘‘tragic accident’’. The death has been referred to the coroner.

Environmental Defence Society chief executive Gary Taylor said the foresters generating the slash should be held morally accountable.

Legal liability was a matter for the coroner and the police to investigate, he said.

He called for an independent inquiry into the origins of the slash.

Any inquiry would need to be ‘‘free from direct influence and the forestry companies themselves’’.

Taylor called for an ‘‘urgent tightening up’’ of forestry regulations, particularly the National Environmental Standards for Plantation Forestry. He said the practice of clear felling, in which almost an entire area of forest is cut down, was ‘‘completely inappropriate’’ and detrimental to the environment.

Forestry Minister Stuart Nash said in a statement he was open to an inquiry into land management practices in the Gisborne area.

Measures had been put in place to reduce the effects of heavy rain events, including rapid replanting, slash management and retiring forestry blocks, Nash said.

The Gisborne region was particularly prone to damage from weather events due to an inherently higher risk of erosion, he said.

Yesterday, Gisborne District Council responded to a petition launched by Tairāwhiti Gisborne locals, with close to 9000 signatures so far, which called for a raft of changes to the way forestry was carried out in the region, so destruction caused by storms like Cyclone Hale could be avoided.

Gisborne mayor Rehette Stoltz said the council supported the community’s call for a new approach to sustainable land use, including forestry. Any inquiry would require regulatory and financial support from central government.

The Eastland Wood Council, a collective voice for the Gisborne forestry industry, said on Thursday it would support any inquiry.

‘‘We stand ready to be part of any inquiries and will work with authorities to support whānau where possible.’’

A spokesperson for Environment Minister David Parker said the slash problem on East Coast beaches was of concern and he sympathised with those who were suffering with the consequences. Local authorities and government departments were investigating the origins of the slash.

’’The source and content of the woody debris is currently being assessed. That said, forestry companies and landowners who plant and harvest wood products must comply with established rules around those activities and the relevant council is responsible for monitoring and enforcing the rules.’’

In 2018, the Gisborne District Council prosecuted five forestry companies for poor forestry harvesting and management, imposing fines between $124,700 and $379,500.

The Natural and Built Environment Bill, which is being considered by a select committee, aims to increase the penalties for environmental breaches and provide tools to strengthen enforcement. Maximum fines for environmental offences will rise to $1 million for individuals and to $10m for companies.