10. PHIL HEATLEY (National—Whangarei) Link to this
to the Associate Minister of Fisheries
What action, if any, has the Minister taken to address non-reporting of customary fishing activity, since seven of the 15 iwi or hapū groups required to put in quarterly reports under the Fisheries (Kaimoana Customary Fishing) Regulations 1998 have not done so for 2 years, which equates to eight consecutive reports?
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Associate Minister of Fisheries) Link to this
In relation to the kaimoana reports, I am concerned at the level of non-reporting. Ministry officials are working closely with the relevant groups to improve reporting.
Why did the Minister’s office write that it was choosing to take a “partnership approach to the regulations with our Treaty partner, rather than an enforcement approach”, when the law states that quarterly returns must be provided; and is the Minister aware of whether the police or the Customs Service are also taking a partnership approach rather than an enforcement approach to burglary, drug running, or anything else?
Madam SPEAKERHon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
I think the partnership approach is a great approach, in the sense that regulation 27 of the amateur fishing regulations, which are currently in place over a large part of New Zealand, does not require any returns for customary catch.
Dr Ashraf Choudhary Link to this
What initiatives have been undertaken by the Minister to support the management of customary fishing?
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
I have met with a number of iwi groups, on weeknights and during the weekends, regarding the establishment of iwi forums. The forums will work with the Ministry of Fisheries to develop and implement programmes to ensure that the requirements of the regulations are properly carried out. Other things include the employment of pou hononga, who are advisers and people with regulation expertise, to assist people on the ground—who are generally hau kāinga people doing it voluntarily—the development of a database to better monitor customary harvest, and the establishment of a training programme for kaitiaki.
What sort of message does it send to iwi like Ngāi Tahu, who always file quarterly reports and obey all the rules, when this Minister turns a blind eye to seven iwi in his electorate, and can commercial and recreational fishers also look forward to a partnership rather than an enforcement approach; and how can we possibly keep track of fish stocks for everyone’s benefit—Māori, commercial, and recreational fishers alike—if this Minister will not insist on catch reporting?
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
The great thing about Ngāi Tahu, in so many ways, is that because they got off the rank first, they are a good model of consistency. What we have done, in the sense of the document I have here, is ensure that those who are behind are catching up. I tell that member that a whole lot of other groups have reported consistently. Some of them have been patchy—certainly; that is right. But it will be quite surprising to members that in the magazine of the New Zealand Seafood Industry Council there is an article stating: “A practical training programme initiated by SITO is helping tangata whenua rebuild and sustainably manage their customary fisheries taonga and, as Sheridan Gundry discovered, it is winning some rave reviews.” That person is one of the top international writers, and the article actually made the cover of the magazine. I will give the member a copy.
Apart from the poor reporting, why did the ministry do 267 regulation 27 customary fishery inspections in the year before the customary rules were supposedly tightened, but only 81 inspections in the year after the customary rules were supposedly tightened?
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
In 1998 the National Party did nothing. It did nothing for 2 years—nothing whatsoever; zip. What the Ministry has done is really improve the performance going forward. We need to keep in mind that the Ministry is made up of hard-working people who support partnerships on the ground.
When Dover Samuels said in 2004: “… if we keep abusing and depleting our fisheries there will be nothing left for Māori to have customary rights over.”, and the then Minister of Fisheries, David Benson-Pope, responded: “I plan to start work on tightening up the customary fishing regime.”, why has this Minister since then, firstly, not insisted that hapū in his electorate file quarterly reports and, secondly, slashed the number of regulation 27 customary fishing inspections by two-thirds?
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
It is important for that member to remind himself of what I just said about the performance of the ministry, and what is happening.
Please be seated. Members will be leaving the Chamber. It is impossible to hear the Minister’s answer, yet there was silence when the member asked his question.
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
My colleague Dover Samuels knows all about this—about the people who are pillaging, raping, and setting-to on the kai moana, the seafood. We will see them all at Christmas—the Pākehās, the Asians, and the Māori—getting stuck in. What this Government is doing something about is making sure it is looked after. I am not too sure what that member is insinuating. Only about 5 percent of the North Island coastline is covered by customary regulations, and the take is minor compared with other takes of kai moana. It is minor compared with what everybody else savages and raids the seabed over.
I seek leave to table an Official Information Act request that shows that quarterly fishing returns have not been filed by half the North Island hapū groups in that Minister’s electorate in the last 2 years.
I seek leave to table the annual report of the Ministry of Fisheries, which shows that only 81 customary fishing inspections were carried out this year, with 267 in the previous year.
I seek leave to table a document from the Minister’s office saying that they were choosing to take a partnership approach rather than an enforcement approach.
I seek leave to table various reports that show Dover Samuels railing against customary fishing abuses and David Benson-Pope fixing them.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. I indicate to the member that if he seeks leave to table the response on the Official Information Act, I do not think there would be objection. I think it was the request he wanted to table.