The Green Party are today celebrating the single largest addition to a National Park in New Zealand's history, with 64,400 hectares of land in the Mokihinui River catchment being added to Kahurangi National Park.
"It's incredible to see the gorgeous Mokihinui Gorge protected for perpetuity with this massive addition to our the Kahurangi National Park. This is a massive win for our natural environment and I wish to congratulate Green Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage" says Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson.
"The Green Party worked with conservation and recreation organisations and iwi and hapu over many years to highlight the importance of the Mokihinui River. Today's announcement is their win as much as ours.
"This is a story of what happens when people care about our rivers and precious places.
"When a giant dam and hydro scheme was proposed for this pristine wild river in 2007 former Green MP and West Coaster Kevin Hauge stood alongside local residents and organisations like Forest and Bird, Whitewater NZ, and DOC to protect the Mokihinui
"Generations to come will now be able to enjoy the beautiful landscape, ride along the Old Ghost Road track alongside the Mokihini River, and see and hear birds like whio and kaka."
"Protecting the Mokihinui has been a priority for the Green Party for a number of years. Now that we're in Government we're able to do just that. It's a fantastic day."
