| Marine
Protected Areas Deadline Extn Request
option4
22
December 2004
Chris Carter
Minister of Conservation
Parliament Buildings
Wellington
Email: ccarter@ministers.govt.nz
cc: Mr David Benson –
Pope
Minister of Fisheries
jolene.key@parliament.govt.nz
December 22, 2004
Dear Mr Carter
Re: Marine Protected Areas Policy Statement and Implementation
Plan
Thank you for your letter dated 11 November requesting submissions
on the draft Marine Protected Area (MPA) Policy Statement and Implementation
Plan developed by the Department of Conservation (DoC) and the Ministry
of Fisheries (MFish).
option4 request a two-month
extension to the deadline of 21 st January 2005 as we believe the
limited submission period unfairly disadvantages non-commercial
fishers and the New Zealand public, due to the timeframe covering
the holiday season. We consider a deadline of 21st March 2005 is
more appropriate.
We note your comment, " the
Government is strongly committed to protecting representative samples
of the full range of marine habitats and ecosystems as part of a
wider strategy to effectively conserve New Zealand's biodiversity"
and consider it would be a demonstration of the Government's
strong commitment to consult with " tangata whenua and interested
parties " that the deadline be extended.
Our commitment to the public
has been to offer them enough time to engage, conduct adequate consultation,
prepare draft submissions for comment and then provide feedback
to formal processes that will impact on our ability to fish for
food.
Government are well aware
of resource issues facing advocacy groups such as ours and with
much of option4's resources already committed to the Kahawai Legal
Challenge there is very little left to dedicate to this process.
Marine protection has been an important aspect of our advocacy over
the past few years and we would expect sufficient time would be
offered to the public so that meaningful input can be considered
in the attempt to achieve a coordinated, integrated approach to
marine protection.
Would you please confirm
that our submission would be accepted for consideration if received
by or on the 21st March 2005. We look forward to making a positive
contribution to marine protection on behalf of option4 supporters,
the public and our future generations.
Yours sincerely,
Trish Rea
option4 spokesperson
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