"There is outrage, not just in Whanganui, but in areas as far afield as Nelson and Hawkes Bay over DoC forcing this hut to be removed. Mr Chester Borrows has made a strong case to me that it should stay and today I am making that commitment on behalf of National.

"Labour does not understand the value of these back country huts to outdoor recreation enthusiasts. It is going to cost $10,000 to remove this hut, which was only built with my consent as Minister in 1997. It is economic lunacy and a breach of faith with the Whanganui Tramping Club that built the hut in good faith.

"It is a sign of how arrogant Labour has become in that they have ignored the 75 submissions made to DoC opposing its proposals to have the hut removed. It is also a telling commentary on how out of touch Jill Pettis has become in that she has ignored the views of local people who want the hut maintained.

"The area of Park that is serviced by this hut exceeds the total area of the Taranaki/Mt Egmont National Park and will effectively become inaccessible if it is removed. It is almost as though the Government has added people to its list of pests and wants to exclude them from some of our great natural areas.

"If there are compliance issues with the hut, they need to be dealt with in a common sense way. Estimates that it will cost $6,000 to bring it to standard are less than what has been budgeted to remove it. National would want to work with the Whanganui Tramping Club to ensure any standards are practical for a back country hut. It is not going to be, and never was intended, to be the Whanganui Park Hilton.

"The issue over this hut highlights the difference between Labour’s bureaucratic and ideological approach to conservation issues and the practical common sense perspective that National would bring," concluded Nick Smith