Copeland Gordon: Forests Amendment Bill — Consideration of Report of Local Government and Environment Committee 
Copeland Gordon: Forests Amendment Bill — Consideration of Report of Local Government and Environment Committee 
[Volume:617;Page:12613] 
GORDON COPELAND (United Future) 
: 
 It is a pleasure for me to speak tonight on the Forests Amendment Bill for reasons that will shortly become obvious. In October last year in connection with this bill I was contacted by a man called John Brosnahan. He is a man who farms in the Eastern Bay of Plenty who has dedicated the last two decades of his life to putting forward some very innovative ways of using manuka and kanuka for wood fuel to smoke food and to be used on domestic barbecues. John has not just manufactured these products he has also designed and made the machines that are used to bring these products into existence. He rang me in a high degree of frustration in relation to this bill. He had appeared before the select committee that considered this bill prior to the last election as mentioned by the Minister and bridged the two Parliaments. He had come down and explained to the select committee that New Zealand was on the verge of developing a massive export market in manuka and kanuka products. 
I want to give this potential export market some dimension for members tonight. John estimates that this export market could be worth as much as US$1 billion to the New Zealand economy. If he is right we are talking potentially about an industry that is bigger than the wine industry and the kiwifruit industry and almost as big as the coal industry. John was frustrated that in spite of the fact he was getting unsolicited requests from overseas to supply this product he was unable to do so because he was being blocked by the Forests Act and by the interpretation placed on that Act by Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry officials. To say the least he was given the run-around from pillar to post. He did manage to export a couple of products. 
I want to show members exactly what I am talking about. I have here a bag of barbecue fuel. It is called Manuka Gold. As members can see it is a woodchip from an indigenous species. This is the fuel used to smoke food. We all know that manuka smoke creates a unique flavour—unique to this whole planet. It is that flavour and the manuka that can be used to produce it that has this huge potential for the New Zealand economy. 
When John explained all this to me I could see immediately that it was crazy for New Zealand to turn down such an amazing opportunity that had been developed over more than two decades of hard work. Why on earth would we do such a thing? I concluded that probably it was not deliberate but had been done in ignorance. After all the purpose of this bill is to prevent the export of woodchips from indigenous species. Manuka is an indigenous species and these are certainly woodchips in this bag so “no go”. I took up the matter immediately with the Government. I was very disappointed when in early November last year the Government wrote back to me and continued to say: “No go.” But I decided that the matter should not rest there. I could have come to this Parliament to make a speech tonight saying what a crazy thing it was but I decided that I would quite determinedly go back to the Government and say that I was going to bring in a Supplementary Order Paper that would alter this bill to allow exports to happen. I believe that when the New Zealand public hear the story I have to tell them they will be scandalised. 
I said to the Government: “You say you have a growth and innovation framework. This is innovation; this is growth. You say you are friendly to exporters but this is a massive potential export market that we are stupidly turning down. That is how stupid we have been. We are exporting manuka seed to Australia and other nations so that they can grow manuka to make these products to sell to Asian markets. How stupid can we possibly be?” 
 Now I must say that the response from the Government eventually was that it decided to engage with me and I am very very glad it did. I have worked from then until last week on this matter with the Government. I am delighted to tell the House that last week I received a letter from the Hon Pete Hodgson saying that the Government had looked at the matter very very carefully and had decided on the basis of a legal interpretation of the law that these exports can now proceed. So I am very delighted to be able to say now that not only can they proceed but they can basically proceed without any export controls. 
How has that happened? That has happened because there is an exemption in this bill for manufactured products and it has been decided that this is a product that is manufactured which is logical because it is produced from machinery. It has also been decided that this product is manufactured to be used in its finished form. If one thinks about it that is nothing like the chipping of a beech tree. Chipping of beech trees meant we exported chips to make pulp to make paper. By contrast this product goes straight into a smokehouse in Asia and is used to give that beautiful manuka flavour to the food people eat. It is not used only in Asia; but is also in demand in Australia in the United States and in other markets. 
The process has now been certified by the Government and officials and these exports can therefore commence and continue on into the future. I think that is tremendously good news for the thousands of New Zealand farmers who have some manuka and kanuka growing on their properties. It is not just grown in forests; of course it is also grown in wood lots on many many farms up and down the country. I am very pleased indeed that because of that legal opinion on the force of the Act those exports will now be able to go ahead. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: Why restrict them in the first place? 
GORDON COPELAND 
: I say to Ken Shirley that that is another debate for another day and another hour but the good news at this point in time is that we will now see this particular export industry go ahead. 
I believe that we will see the manuka plant itself now flourish in our country. After all when one thinks about it one really should want to continue the existence of an indigenous species. And I should also say that the Government has now recognised this by allowing exports of indigenous trees to occur provided they are grown in plantations. That at least illustrates the principle that any nation would be crazy to kill the goose that lays the golden egg. As long as we have a thriving export market for manuka products we can rest assured that plenty of manuka will not only be preserved in this country but will in fact be planted because of the commercial opportunities it opens up for people to make a living and to support their families. 
I am delighted that this has happened because John Brosnahan who has developed all this said to me in his final despair about not getting anywhere on this whole issue that he had decided to move offshore and take his technology with him. That will now not happen I am pleased to say. 
I want to add one further thing which is to say that although United Future was part of the minority view on this bill and signalled to the Government it would be voting against it we have now changed our stance and will tonight be voting in favour of the bill. [ 
Interruption 
] If members listen for a moment I will tell them why we have changed our decision. We have done so because we have received—and I believe other parties have as well—a letter from the Waimumu Trust. The trust is the owner of 4400 hectares of South Island Landless Natives Act forest and represents 7000 Maori beneficiaries. It has written to us asking us to pass this bill as urgently as possible. It has written— 
Jim Peters 
: Rubbish! Sheer nonsense. 
GORDON COPELAND 
: I have the letter right here I say to Mr Peters and it is not rubbish. What I am saying is truthful. Waimumu has lodged a claim with the Waitangi Tribunal. It expects a claim for compensation for the actions of this bill and it has written to us—and I believe to other parties as well and others may know that they have received the same letter—saying: “Please pass the legislation so that the Waitangi Tribunal can hear our claim.” I think that that is a just way to settle the dispute that has now arisen between the Government and the owners of the South Island Landless Natives Act forests.