| Hui
Presentation to the Iwi Chairpersons Hui
Pipitea
Marae, Wellington
by
Sonny Tau
2nd-4th
March 2006
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This speech was given
to the hui on Friday 3rd March 2006 by Sonny Tau
Customary Tools
The customary tools we
have available to us are just being rolled out and are already under
severe attack from industry. Mataitai-the God send for looking after
local tauranga ika, are subject to a "race for space"
with DoC who is pouring millions of dollars into
securing "no take forever marine reserves"
at the expense of hapu having opportunity to deliver Kaitiakitanga.
Some of these reserves
are over our best traditional hapu fishing grounds. I will address
this subject later.
Even worse, those hapu who do
get their act together and apply for mataitai come
up against a wall of ignorance. The public have not been kept informed
and draw all sorts of conclusions about the intent of Maori to manage
important traditional fisheries.
There is more –
we now realise the threat of legal action which hangs over the roll
out of mataitai – not from the public but from commercial
fishing interests, including Maori. Again, we find ourselves getting
kicked around – this political football must be kicked into
touch, NOW.
Ministry have created a powerful property
right for commercial operators around quota, which they will defend
with whatever they have at their disposal. Challenges by anyone
who gets in the road of these rights, usually end up in court.
Our own AFL is using arguments
with Government that could undermine these customary tools. I wonder
if they have spoken to other iwi about their concerns, they have
certainly not sought feedback from Ngapuhi on the matter of customary
tools. They should be worrying about maximising returns to iwi with
what is available to them rather than getting involved in iwi politics.
A dividend back to iwi will be nice.
All iwi chairs hooked into our chairmen
e-mail network would have received a copy of the letter sent to
the Minister by industry, aided by a very senior employee of AFL.
The letter outlined concerns they had with the implementation of
Mataitai. We own that company, why are we not informed about their
concerns? Their concerns strike at the very heart of our Treaty
of Waitangi Settlement, especially the customary tools section and
have the potential to erode these rights.
I said at the Ngati Kahungunu
conference that I will bring this matter to the attention of this
forum. What are we to do about this? It is about time we as chairs
of our respective iwi meet collectively with industry and talk through
the issues.
Maori in turn must rigorously
defend these customary tools. I am sure that MFish will assist us
in this area.
Conflicts of interests
Ministry are quick to highlight
the conflict that exists between commercial and recreational fishers.
While this does exist in some fisheries, the true conflict for Maori
is in:
- the mismanagement of our fisheries by the Ministry
- the mis-allocation of those fisheries resourses between each
sector
and
- the interpretations of the Fisheries Act.
Until these problems are
addressed the needs of our future generations will not be met, as
per the purpose of the Fisheries Act. Ngapuhi, being the largest
iwi in the country and growing, want to ensure our tamariki have
kaimoana on their tables to feed our mokopuna and especially to
manaaki our Manuhiri.
As we all know, kaimoana
is one of the highest mana enhancing mechanism known to the Maori
psyche.
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Marine Reserves
The Government has its many
executive arms and many departments. Of these the Ministry of Fisheries
and the Department of Conservation affect us most when we go fishing.
Understandingly, there has
to be some constraint around fishing to retain the mauri, or lifeblood
of the Tangaroa, particularly when we have the power to destroy
it. But the question I ask is, what is DoC doing there? What are
these tree hugging landlubbers doing at sea? And why do they want
ten, twenty and even thirty percent of our coastline locked up forever?
They must have some good reasons to deny our tamariki their piece
forever.
The Marine Reserves Act,
which is a completely unnecessary piece of legislation, was intended
to protect one bit of sea around Goat Island for scientists to study
- fair enough, but the Fisheries Act could have done the same. Then
it grew and grew totally out of proportion. Then the Rogernomic's
administration shuffled all land reserves to a new organisation,
DoC, and with it marine reserves.
Marine reserves are places in the
sea which, when undisturbed, may return to a more pristine state,
which could benefit scientific study, tourism, education, biodiversity
and perhaps even fishing. So, naturally where they benefit society,
we should have more of these.
At the moment around 150
square kilometres is in marine reserves, and we already have 3000
square kilometres in de-facto protection. These are the cable ways
and ammunition dumps, where trawling and other forms of fishing
is prohibited. Do these provide for scientific study, tourism, education
and benefits for fishing? Do we find huge stocks of fish there?
No we don't.
So why should marine reserves,
which are no different, suddenly provide these perceived benefits?
Well, they don't either.
A marine scientist, Floor
Anthoni said, "We now have some twenty fully protected marine
reserves around our coasts, and none of these is working to save
the environment, biodiversity or increase fish stock. Why not? Because
in as little as twenty years, a new threat has become dominant:
sick seas. Sick seas affect all marine organisms, particularly in
their larval stages. So the fish live shorter, spawn less, and their
offspring is murdered by voracious bacteria before they are big
enough to leave the plankton. The mauri of Tangaroa is sick. Because
the baby fish are not arriving, it looks as if we are overfishing,
and we are blaming one another for this. So, we have a big problem."
He went on, "the problem
begins on the land. We are losing our precious soils as at the same
time this is killing our nutritious fish and also taking our beloved
beaches away. How can we be so stupid three times over? How can
we be so blind"?
Now DoC is taking the sea by stealth.
They have cleverly devised a new Marine Protected Areas Implementation
Policy that unites all government departments and local government
while dividing those who use the sea.
It is a tool used by world
dictators, to gain and remain in control. Now it has descended upon
us, a plan to fast-track marine reserves while smothering opposition
and democratic debate as well as honest consultation.
Is this what we want?
Is this the way forward? Is this how we wish to be remembered by
our tamariki? I don't think so.
I believe there is room
for Marine reserves in certain areas but let us be clear here, marine
reserves do not conserve fish. Fish do not survey their own particular
areas and stay there. When they did a survey in the north, within
a boat length they caught two snapper, one was tagged at Tutukaka
in the north and the other wore a tag from Tauranga so fish don't
stay in the one place.
Let us agree on one thing.
We don't really want marine reserves if these do not help to save
the sea. But we do need to take remedial action now. We really need
to be smarter.
With the race for space I
spoke about earlier in my korero, Marine reserves are the biggest
threat to whanau and hapu implementing Mataitai or Taiapure, the
only tools we have to preserve those tauranga ika enjoyed by our
Matua, Tupuna. When Ministry were quizzed on whether Taiapure and
Mataitai were counted within the coastal space DoC are trying to
lock down.
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Conclusion
I want to close by leaving
you with a summary of points I have raised in the body of my korero
as points for us to ponder as we seek to better understand and provide
Kaitiakitanga ki nga tamariki a Tangaroa.
- The law is clear; Section 8 (1)-The purpose
of this Act is to provide for the utilisation of fisheries resources
while ensuring sustainability. In many fisheries this is not
the case. SNA8, GMU1.
- An interest in the effects of fishing on the aquatic environment
in the area concerned – and have particular regard to
Kaitiakitanga. Have Ministry provided for real input
and participation to any iwi in Aotearoa? I don't think so.
- Section 13, clearly the law directs that fisheries be managed
at or above Bmsy. SNA8, GMU1.
- Maori have substantial interests in all three categories of
fishing. Commercial, customary and most of all recreational. On
the 23 September 1992, the introduction of Te Tiriti O Waitangi
(Fisheries Settlement) Act 1992, fishing as Maori knew it, changed
forever There is no debate here!
- Maori commercial fishing interests have been addressed through
the Treaty of Waitangi (Fisheries Claims) Settlement Act 1992.
Unlike pakeha, Maori are strapped in to their commercial fishing
interests.
- 99.99% of the time Maori go fishing to feed the whanau, they
are categorised as recreational fishers. Let us protect this
most important aspect of our fishing interests.
- Ministry have introduced a Proportional Allocation process which
will kick of in June. They have met with Pakeha over the preparation
of this paper but I am unaware of any approaches to Maori. If
this passes into legislation-the impact will be huge as the Foreshore
and Seabed legislation we witnessed last year. Not only for Maori,
but for the public at large.
- Marine Reserves are not conducive to increasing the number of
fish left in the water and this is a major threat to the implementation
of our customary tools.
Not surprisingly, when
Ngapuhi are quizzed about the priority placed on the three categories
of our fishing interests, commercial interests inevitably come last.
One typical comment is, "we want kai on our tables before
any Chinese, Japanese or anyone else. Certainly before exporting
for crayfish bait to Australia."
Hands up those of us here
who think commercial should take priority over everything else?
Or customary for that matter?
We need to wake up before
all that is meaningful to us as Maori are consumed into the mainstream
and we lose our status as Tangata Whenua. Our people are so supportive,
feeding them with the right information and following good process
will ensure they continue to follow and support us as their leaders.
Mauri Ora
Raniera T (Sonny)
Tau
Chairman Te Runanga
A Iwi O Ngapuhi .
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