A dismal day for our reputation and recreation

[Dave Hansford]

I don’t mean to get all judgey on people’s asses here - I know most of you will be as horrified by this as I am - but yesterday these vehicles drove along the Ashley riverbed and CLEAN OVER a colony of nesting black-billed gulls. These birds are found only in New Zealand and are the world’s rarest gull, listed as critically endangered. The fallout here in NZ is immense, and naturally, people are calling for riverbed access to be closed to vehicles - and much worse. The sheer cold-blooded cruelty of this stupidity is bad enough, but every time some self-entitled dickhead does something like this, we all get tarred with the brush. If you value vehicle access, please don’t do this sort of thing, and make your disapproval known to those that do.

 

[Kevin]

I do hope their actions were reported and they are dealt with severely by the law!

 

[Ratbag]

Two number plates to go on - HKR-284 and DBA-51.

That's a start to get these fruitcakes ...

Thanks for posting this, Dave.

 

[Dave Hansford]

Yup: it’s in national media now, so it remains to be seen whether our Department of Conservation will prosecute. Sadly, this comes after a holiday season of other transgressions by 4-wheel drivers in New Zealand around protected wildlife. One lot walked into a shorebird sanctuary to attach a winch rope to driftwood logs and pull them down to their (illegal) campsite. The birds were actually nesting among those logs. Sooner or later, the public will just scream “enough”.

 

[Ratbag]

Glad these bloody mongrels will be brought to account, Dave.

But you are right. We will all pay the price for the actions of the idiot few.

 

[temmah]

I hope karma does its work. Makes me so angry.

 

[ABFoz]

Yup: it’s in national media now, so it remains to be seen whether our Department of Conservation will prosecute. Sadly, this comes after a holiday season of other transgressions by 4-wheel drivers in New Zealand around protected wildlife. One lot walked into a shorebird sanctuary to attach a winch rope to driftwood logs and pull them down to their (illegal) campsite. The birds were actually nesting among those logs. Sooner or later, the public will just scream “enough”.

Not going to judge, as well, @Dave Hansford, but most of these recklessness are caused by really, really young kids/hipsters with 4WDs. They caused the closure of many of our forests here including Riverhead forest. The kids would hillybilly around the forest and would even drive onto someone else's lawn! Woodhill is just open because the operator has a permit from the local iwi owning the forest but it is a 4WD park, not something you would actually explore.

Sooner or later, the forests will just close totally.

I do hope their actions were reported and they are dealt with severely by the law!

Our Department of Conservation really has a heavy hand when people mistreat wildlife. When I was part of resource exploration, one of the operators hit a sea mammal and it was good enough for the authorities to cancel the corresponding exploration license. When we were driving our company 4x4s, we have to make sure that we do not hit/disturb local bird habitats. One of the locals witnessed a 4x4 driver who drove across a no-go stream and destroyed the local bird colony. The fine was NZD 64,000 for one person. The passengers got at least NZD 15,000.

 

[Ben Up North]

The fine was NZD 64,000 for one person. The passengers got at least NZD 15,000.

Whereas in Arsestralia, I reckon the government would pay people at least that much to do it. Especially if it was indigenous heritage as well as wildlife.
That's the way our government appears to behave anyway.

 

[Ratbag]

Whereas in Arsestralia, I reckon the government would pay people at least that much to do it. Especially if it was indigenous heritage as well as wildlife.
That's the way our government appears to behave anyway.

Not really, Ben.

Driving a vehicle off a road or made track can lead to confiscation, along with other charges, at least in Victoria.

Please remember that political discussion is prohibited on this forum, along with religion and climate change. Much as one feels the almost overwhelming hypocrisy and political correctness one routinely sees in the media, we need to restrain ourselves. Note to self "This includes me"!

 

[Ben Up North]

Please remember that political discussion is prohibited on this forum, along with religion and climate change.

I think it's attitudinal more than political myself. Hasn't really mattered which side of politics is in power.

 

[Ratbag]

Trust me, discussion about political attitudes is also banned ... .

 

[Ben Up North]

Trust me, discussion about political attitudes is also banned ... .

The problem isn't political. It's sooo much more than that.
And that's the last I'll say on the matter.

 

[El_Freddo]

The problem isn't political. It's sooo much more than that.
And that's the last I'll say on the matter.

Go on, once more for the cheap seats!

every time some self-entitled dickhead does something like this, we all get tarred with the brush. If you value vehicle access, please don’t do this sort of thing, and make your disapproval known to those that do.

Agreed. I hope they threw the book at this mob. It’s not on!

It’s sad that many do not understand that we rely on our environments being healthy, and part of the environment being healthy is animals breeding - especially native animals!

Then on the other side of it - what sort of mind frame do you need to be in to commit these coward acts? I’m sure they’d be the first cry foul if their family was run over by a lunatic!

Bennie

 

[Ben Up North]

Go on, once more for the cheap seats!

I really shouldn't..

what sort of mind frame do you need to be in to commit these coward acts?

Generational educational failure.

 

[Dave Hansford]

As discussed - and predicted - on this thread a few weeks back... something of a head of steam building.
More action to stop dune hoons on beaches

 

[El_Freddo]

That’s how it goes. And they never learn until it’s too late - at which point there’s another crop of them up and coming...

Bennie

 

[ABFoz]

As discussed - and predicted - on this thread a few weeks back... something of a head of steam building.
More action to stop dune hoons on beaches

It's only going to be matter of time before it takes a hit on our recreation fully. I mean, here in the North Island, most of the forests are already closed and there are calls for the 42 Traverse to be by permit only or totally closed because some overlanders camped at the midpoint and left their trash. The locals and the local Iwi got completely annoyed, of course.

Northland's west coast beaches may still be open as they are all public highways but if nutwits keep on destroying the dunes, I won't be surprised if they close it fully or use the permit-to-access system.

This 2001 Pajero of the workmates of my old acquaintance changed our access to Muriwai Beach in 2015.


According to the police the vehicle would have been travelling up to 140kph and might have touched a hidden drift wood then rolling at least 6 times. Everyone was ejected, by the way, and died. Since they were all close-knit, a tangi was held around the crash site.

Anyway, from then on we have to apply for a permit and we can't drive on the dunes in Muriwai anymore.

 

[Tweaksta]

I ag

The problem isn't political. It's sooo much more than that.
And that's the last I'll say on the matter.

I agree Ben. I also find it a bit silly that trying to promote high standards of conservation is labelled as political. Maybe we've got some extreme right on this forum ay?

 

[Ratbag]

Personally, I am very much for taking very good care of the environment - it's the only one we've got!

Think where your daily dump goes, your rubbish, your old unregisterable car ... etc, etc.

During WWII, the Brits recycled everything. Why can't we manage that today?

 

[Tweaksta]

I've just had enough of the "environmental" bashing....

8 years ago I quit a well paid job in I.T to move into environmental conservation as a profession.

During that 8 years I have been abused, sworn at, asked how I live with myself and had some of my work destroyed. I am 100% aware that the environment aggravates some people. I've seen bogans accelerate towards a family of ducks crossing a road in their cars and I've had someone drive a lawnmover over a newly planted hectare of native vegetation.

The one thing that bugs me is when people call me a greenie. I don't align myself with left nor right.

Long story short - I lasted 6 years before the constant alignment with politics actually caused me to have a nervous breakdown 14 months ago. I've been on meds and in therapy for over a year and am still suffering major depressive disorder.....

I have not been able to work for this 14 months and I've dropped out of uni due to the mental scarring I have related to environmentalism and it's "haters".

Just wanted to say its no joke. Liking birds and plants does not make a greenie nor a target for the conservative right.

My life has almost been destroyed by bad attitudes. I have a mortgage and a child and I haven't been able to function correctly for over a year. It has broken me.