A Tairāwhiti environmental research group is calling out as “hacks” both sides of a scientific argument about pine trees.

This week, scientists working for AgResearch, a Crown Research Institute, and fertiliser company Ravensdown have argued pine plantations damage soil and soil under pasture is healthier, claiming pasture is better for soil conservation and erosion control.

In response, scientists from Scion Research, another Crown Research Institute that receives significant funding from the pine industry, have argued the opposite is true.

However, Tairāwhiti-based land use research organisation Te Weu Tairāwhiti believes both groups are wrong when it comes to highly erosion-prone land.

“We know land subsidence and sediment mobilisation are the biggest environmental issues faced by the region since the middle of last century,” said Manu Caddie .

He has been working with local and international experts and stakeholders across the region to understand the best solutions.

“Ninety percent of the land in Tairāwhiti is erosion-prone. We have some of the most sediment-clogged waterways in the world, and much of it is now sitting on paddocks because riverbeds rise with each new event, putting settlements at increasing risk.

“Mature pine plantations are collapsing in catchments across the region. These shallow-rooting softwoods are completely out of place in the region and doing huge damage,” Mr Caddie said.

“These CRI scientists are all industry hacks wasting precious public funds on lobbying for the companies that co-fund their organisations.

“I hope the new Government redirects the CRI priorities to address the real needs of the country, including this region. Basic food, shelter and energy resilience in the face of accelerating climate change and a century of unsustainable industry in the region should be top of the list.

“Tairāwhiti is the climate canary in the coal mine and a special case that deserves dedicated resources, given Crown policies created much of the mess here.

“We need to rapidly get consensus based on truly independent science on what activity is actually sustainable and to manage that transition with urgency.”