Maruia Society
Encyclopedia
The Maruia Society was an environmental organisation in New Zealand
. "Maruia" means "sheltered valley" in the Maori language. (There is also a valley of that name in New Zealand's South Island.)
The Society had its origins in the Beech Forest Action Committee
and the Native Forest Action Council
. In 1999 it became the Ecologic Foundation
.
Executive director was Guy Salmon who has been present through all the groups incarnations.
The Society lost a lot of members during the mid-late 1990s when it came out in support of sustainable milling of West Coast
beech—in contrast to the mainstream environmental movement in New Zealand which was advocating against active management of the forests with money being channeled back into the forests for pest control.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. "Maruia" means "sheltered valley" in the Maori language. (There is also a valley of that name in New Zealand's South Island.)
The Society had its origins in the Beech Forest Action Committee
Beech Forest Action Committee
The Beech Forest Action Committee was an environmental organisation based in New Zealand.It was formed in the 1970s as a grassroots group in Auckland to protest against native forest logging. The group was not totally opposed to the logging but wished to see it done at a sustainable rate.The Beech...
and the Native Forest Action Council
Native Forest Action Council
Native Forest Action Council was an environmental organisation in New Zealand.It was formed in 1975 from what was the Beech Forest Action Committee to advocate for the protection of native forests and changed its name to the Maruia Society in 1988. The Maruia Society then became Ecologic...
. In 1999 it became the Ecologic Foundation
Ecologic Foundation
The Ecologic Foundation is an independent not-for-profit Think Tank based in Nelson, New Zealand focused on environmental policy research and analysis, consultancy and advocacy. Its Executive Director is Guy Salmon who has been involved with the organisation in its various forms since the 1970s...
.
Executive director was Guy Salmon who has been present through all the groups incarnations.
The Society lost a lot of members during the mid-late 1990s when it came out in support of sustainable milling of West Coast
West Coast, New Zealand
The West Coast is one of the administrative regions of New Zealand, located on the west coast of the South Island, and is one of the more remote and most sparsely populated areas of the country. It is made up of three districts: Buller, Grey and Westland...
beech—in contrast to the mainstream environmental movement in New Zealand which was advocating against active management of the forests with money being channeled back into the forests for pest control.
External links
- Building Bridges and Splitting Greens details the Society's involvement with Timberlands West Coast LimitedTimberlands West Coast LimitedTimberlands West Coast Limited is a New Zealand state-owned enterprise based on the West Coast.It was formed to manage the native and exotic forests on the West Coast of the defunct New Zealand Forest Service....
- History of Ecologic and its earlier incarnation the Maruia Society