PRESS
RELEASE
16
August 2004
Rural
Women oppose legalised trespass
Rural
Women New Zealand (RWNZ) says that the proposed
contravention of private property rights currently
under debate in Cabinet could make farming untenable.
RWNZ's
National President, Sherrill Dackers, says that
Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) regulations
put farmers in an impossible situation when the
public are given access to cross private land.
There
has already been one prominent case in New Zealand
where a farming family was financially sent to the
wall by OSH after a member of the public had an
accident on their land.
“When
farmers are charged with the responsibility of ensuring
safety within their boundaries, they must also be
given the right to say who crosses those boundaries,”
Mrs Dackers says.
“Presumably
this legislation has come about because of the growing
number of corporate property owners who are locking
their gates to the public. One of the biggest perpetrators
of this practice is the Department of Conservation
(DoC).”
Mrs
Dackers says that the Government is contradicting
itself at every turn, and should talk to its own
people before inflicting legislation on private
owners.
“In
circumstances where DoC are locking their gates,
they have good reasons for doing so, including environmental
protection, public safety and biosecurity risks.
Private
owners face exactly the same issues, so why shouldn't
they be allowed to lock their gates as well, if
they deem it necessary to do so?”
Mrs
Dackers says that most farmers do not object when
a member of the public approaches them personally
and asks for permission to cross their land.
“By
giving public access as of right, the Government
is removing all incentives towards civility and
personal responsibility.”
The
Government's misguided attempt to protect public
access rights to waterways will achieve nothing
except make a handful of hunters and fishermen happy
at the expense of all private land owners in the
country.
“This
isn't just about rural properties - how would urban
residents feel if the public started marching across
their waterfront sections?
The
implication is that this will happen under the proposed
legislation.”
The
same principle would apply to any industrial or
manufacturing site located next to a waterway.
For
further information contact:
Sherrill
Dackers
National
President - Rural Women New Zealand
(09)
437 0572 or (025) 475 744
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