Eckhoff Gerrard: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Eckhoff Gerrard: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:619;Page:15312] 
3.  
GERRARD ECKHOFF (ACT) 
: 
 to the  
Minister for Rural Affairs 
: In considering policy on walking access in the New Zealand outdoors will he rule out a law change that might force landowners to provide public access through private property to access waterways; if not has he any estimate of the number of properties that would be affected by such a law change? 
Hon JIM SUTTON (Minister for Rural Affairs) 
: 
 This policy is yet to be determined by Cabinet. 
Gerrard Eckhoff 
: Which of his colleagues is correct on this issue of public access to private land: the Minister for Land Information John Tamihere who was quoted on 16 August as ruling out any moves to force landowners to allow public access; or the Prime Minister who was quoted in the  
New Zealand Herald 
 the very next day suggesting that the jury is still out on this issue? 
Hon JIM SUTTON 
: My colleague the Minister for Land Information has told me that he was misquoted on this matter. I have no trouble in attesting that the Prime Minister was quite correct in her remarks. 
Janet Mackey 
: When will Ministers determine what response to make to last year’s Acland report on walking access to land? 
Hon JIM SUTTON 
: Ministers have considered the report and provisionally narrowed down the range of options. It will be some months yet before officials complete the work on options and Ministers determine what response to make. 
Hon David Carter 
: Why was Gottlieb Braun-Elwart Helen Clark’s personal mountain guide appointed as a member of the land access task force and why was his name deliberately omitted from the Minister’s press release dated 23 January 2003 in which he announced all other members of that group? 
Hon JIM SUTTON 
: Mr Braun-Elwart was chosen by Cabinet for the same reason that every other member of the group was chosen—because he had experience and talents that would make a contribution to the work of the panel. His omission from a draft of a press statement was simply a typo in effect—it was simply a mistake. 
Keith Locke 
: Could the Minister give us some idea of the options that he has just referred to in terms of letting members of the public have access to lakes rivers and wilderness areas that are in the public domain when the owners of adjoining private properties refuse to allow that access? 
Hon JIM SUTTON 
: The options are basically spelt out in the report which has been made public and which the member can read if he has not already done so. It might be helpful to the member if I were to say that the principal option that has been ruled out provisionally by Cabinet is the option of “wander at will” which would allow the public to wander wherever they liked over private property. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: In light of the comments opposite that this group was a group of patsies can the Minister tell us who chaired it and who some of the members were? 
Hon JIM SUTTON 
: The chair of the working-party was John Acland a former chairman of the New Zealand Meat Producers Board and the owner at the time of Mount Peel Station. One of the members who was I guess appointed for his broad experience of rural affairs and access for recreational fishing was Mr Eric Roy a former member of Parliament. I will not list out all the other members. I refer members to the published report and the many commentaries of that report. 
Gordon Copeland 
: Should the Government finally decide to bring about a law change to provide public access through private property to access waterways can he assure the House today and the affected landowners that they will receive full just and fair compensation? 
Hon JIM SUTTON 
: I can only reiterate that Cabinet has yet to determine its position on that issue. 
Gerrard Eckhoff 
: If the Government does move to allow public access through private land to water bodies can he assure the House that the same rules will apply to public access to waterways through Maori land; if not why not? 
Hon JIM SUTTON 
: The question is purely hypothetical. 
Hon David Carter 
: I seek leave to table Mr Sutton’s press release that lists all members of the task force with one exception. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Surely the last answer from the Minister cannot stand. He was asked what was contemplated in respect of the way that the potential law change would affect Maori land. The Minister said that was purely hypothetical then sat down. That is not an answer at all. I think it is fair for a member of Parliament to ask whether the law change would affect all land in whatever manner of ownership it is. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I ask the Minister to comment further. 
Hon JIM SUTTON 
: The question started with the proposal: “Should the Government decide to do such-and-such will it do such-and-such?”. In a previous answer I had already said that the Government had not decided the such-and-such that the member mentioned. 
Gerrard Eckhoff 
: What is the Minister’s response to the concerns expressed by the President of Federated Farmers Tom Lambie who said: “Personal safety and security for family and staff is at risk with rising rural crime and violence. Families should not be forced to be exposed to strangers and inappropriate behaviour especially with law enforcement sorely lacking in many isolated areas.”? 
Hon JIM SUTTON 
: All that I can say in response is that while I share the concern of rural New Zealanders that they may be exposed to criminal behaviour by some of their fellow citizens I regret to say I cannot see that putting up notices saying “Access Prohibited” will stop dope growers murderers stock thieves or the like. What is more likely to stop them is the knowledge that they may come across law-abiding citizens exercising their right to walk along the Queen’s Chain.