High country farmers appear to be staying away in droves from a Twizel symposium later this week where environmentalists and others will discuss ways to protect the Mackenzie, Omarama and Ohau Basins' landscapes.
Mackenzie Federated Farmers' branch chairman John Murray yesterday did not know of any farmers planning to be at the Mackenzie Symposium this Friday and Saturday organised by the Environmental Defence Society (EDS).
He objected to people from Auckland and other areas coming down to impose their views on farmers.
"If I went to Auckland and tried to influence what happened up there, I'd be laughed at all the way back home again.
"Why should they have the right to come down here and tell us what to do," he said yesterday.
Federated Farmers vice-president Donald Aubrey will not be at the symposium, calling it an "imposium", after initially being listed as a speaker.
North Otago high country chairman Simon Williamson was not aware how many farmers from the Ohau and Omarama areas would be at the symposium.
"There are some going, but I don't think a lot."
EDS executive director Gary Taylor described the farmers' boycott as "unfortunate" and said a lot of the 120 people already registered for the symposium were "local people".
"We saw this [symposium] as a beginning, not an end in itself.
"We want to scope what the issues are - that is as far was we are intending to go.
"If we can't, EDS and others will just have to revert back to litigation," he said.
The symposium, which involves scientists, consultants, individuals and environmental groups such as Forest and Bird and the Mackenzie Guardians, was organised by the EDS, to bring together key stakeholders, including landowners, in an attempt to start discussions about protecting what the society said was "an iconic landscape".
Mr Murray said farmers were fighting for their financial and environmental existence.
"I reckon we have done a pretty good job looking after the place and it's a bit on the nose when others want to come and tell us what to do and that we haven't done a good job.
"Where were these people in the 1990s when we had rabbits crawling out our ears and the place was blowing away in dust storms ? No-one wanted to know, no-one wanted to help - we were just abandoned," Mr Murray said.
Mr Taylor described as "dumb comment" the accusation that people were coming from outside the area to tell locals what to do.
"One of the things Federated Farmers needs to accept is reconciling the conflict in the Mackenzie Basin requires both local people and those concerned with national values to get together and have a constructive dialogue."
Mr Aubrey was angry at the high-handed way in which organisers prepared - "as though it's inclusive, but it's not".
EDS booked a hall then released names of speakers over a month ago, yet did not invite or even call him before advertising the programme.
`It's beyond rude and tells farmers just how little regard the EDS or Forest and Bird have towards genuine consultation or even politeness.
This may be normal behaviour in Ponsonby but it's definitely not how we do things in the high country.
It's also opposite to the collaborative image they like to portray."
Mr Taylor said EDS had sought to involve Federated Farmers in the symposium.
EDS approached a Federated Farmers person early on in the programme evolution with a speaker invitation.
"He said `leave it with me and I'll see what we can do', which we did.
"In the event he was not able to speak, we then approached Mr Aubrey with an invitation."
It only heard yesterday that he had declined.
