How sacred are our national parks? Is there ever a case to open them up for development, or to put a motorway right through the middle of them?
The Buller District Council believes there is.
It is proposing a road through the Kahurangi National Park, creating a direct link between Nelson and the upper West Coast.
The Northern Link would be 56km long and would largely follow the route of the Wangapeka Track – a walking track that was once popular with trampers, but now less than 600 people walk it annually, Buller Mayor Garry Howard says.
But the Mayor has a fight on his hands and the Coasts' environmentalists say they will protest it all the way.
Story went to speak to those who are planning to stop the developments at all costs.
Watch the video for the full Story report.
