Keep our kiwi right to sustainably harvest wild food

Below is one example of a politically correct and illogical regulation that is going to prevent average kiwis from eating from the wild.  Stop this encroachment on our right to responsibly feed ourselves;

Because Sea Shepherd have launched a legal challenge in the USA to ban NZ fish exports to the USA (worth about NZ$200 million), the Government is introducing a set net ban out to 4 nautical miles in the Golden Bay and Tasman Bay regions to prove it is protecting dolphins when;

1. There are no Maui Dolphins, however there are less endangered Hector's dolphins

2. According to the DOC website, Hector's dolphins have increased in number from about 8,000 in 2008 to 15,000 today.

3. In the Golden Bay and Tasman Bay areas, records indicate that less than 10 dolphins have been killed by any kind of net in the last 50 years. 

4. Hectors dolphins like to swim and hunt off shore, often in sand churned waters. Dolphins have an acute eco-location system and they use this to hunt fish in poor visibility waters. Their echo=location system also enables them to detect set nets. 

5. Dolphin deaths occur naturally, including predation by sharks and even in the case of bottlenose dolphins, by other dolphins. In addition, today the disease, taxoplasmosis, is considered to be significant cause of fatalities. 

6. Consuming fresh fish is much more eco-friendly than eating fish from cans - no canning, transport or supermarkets environmental impacts.

7. Netting is a culturally important community right in Aotearoa New Zealand. In 1886 Te Pokiha Taranui and Ngati Pikiao caught over 10,000 fish during one community net event in the Bay of Plenty. 

8. The activity of sustainably harvesting wild food connects people with nature and our whakapapa. It supports our spiritual, physical, mental and whanau well-being. 

9. Set net regulations exist apply to Golden Bay and Tasman Bay, and are enforced. 

10. The submission closure date for this law was 4th August 2019, with the Ministers decision having being released on 24th June 2020, for enforcement from the beginning of October 2020.  Based on feedback from those attending recent meetings on this matter, less than 10% of those who catch fish to eat this way had even heard of this proposed law change before 24th June 2020, let'll own 4th August 2019!. Given this lack of proactive consultation with the public by the relevant Government Ministries, this law change is effectively an imposition on people without their knowledge or consent and is against our basic human right to sustainably feed ourselves and our whanau from nature.

How important is this issue?  We don't really know but when a 'Facebook' was used to call a meeting Motueka, with only 36 hours notice, 52 people attended the meeting. Why could not the authorities have done the same?

Above is one example of people rights being taken away without good reason, proper consultation or our consent. If you object and want to stop this ongoing erosion of the average kiwi's right to sustainably feed whanau from the wild, please sign this petition and invite others to do the same - please do it now!

Average Kiwi    Contact the author of the petition