news article, page-38

Fact: Westlands region has now fallen into bottom of ABS economic ranking

Some clean press for Nick Smith who has had DOC work against him.

"Conservation Minister Nick Smith batted off opposition questions in Parliament about granting access for a coking coal mine to Bathurst Resources with a letter from the Labour Party's West Coast MP Damien O'Connor urging him to approve the mine.

To questions from Green MP Catherine Delahunty, Mr Smith said the 5 percent of the plateau covered by the access agreement "has already been mined, has a dam and an artificial lake, a road and bulldozer tracks" and vegetation was largely gorse and broom.

It had neither national park nor conservation status, but was classed as "stewardship" land, the lowest grading for conservation land."


http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/smith-embarrasses-labour-over-bathurst-bd-140735