Nugget Point Nov 2004

This article was originally published in the Otago Daily Times 2 November 2004

LOOKING BACK now, it is hard to believe that passionate battles were once fought over the establishment of a network of national parks in the mountains and forests of New Zealand. But history tells us those battles were fought and it now appears they are set to occur all over again as we strive to achieve a similar, if more modest, sort of national park network in our vast marine area. For evidence, consider the fact that 3000 submissions have been received from the public on a proposal to establish a marine reserve off Great Barrier Island. As Conservation Minister, I am torn between a sense of hope that New Zealanders have such an interest in our seas and a sense of frustration that the debate about protecting small parts of them is so needlessly fierce. I say needlessly because I am not convinced this debate is actually about whether or not we should have marine reserves. Instead, I think it reflects a need for more comprehensive, inclusive and open planning about where protected areas are actually located in New Zealand waters.

I regularly hear fishing groups say: "We support the concept of marine reserves, just don't put them in our favourite fishing spots." I'm mindful that recreational fishing groups have actually supported a large number of marine reserve proposals in the past. Yet, these same groups are now in a lather about a pretty modest Government goal of placing 10% of our massive marine area, the fourth largest in the world, under some form of protection by 2010.

Fishing groups seem to fear this goal will result in a sudden and indiscriminate blitzkrieg of marine reserve proposals that will not be balanced with the need to preserve fishing spots around the coastline. In other words, they feel excluded from decision-making.

Realistically, they are not. The statutory process requires that recreational fishing groups be consulted about marine reserves. There is also a specific legal test that asks if a reserve were put in a particular spot would it have an undue impact on adjacent landowners, recreation or fishing in a district.

However, this inclusion of fishing views sometimes occurs only after a reserve has been proposed. If there is a weakness in the current process it is that there is insufficient systematic and open planning about which areas should be suggested as reserves in the first place.

Some planning has gone on in certain regions in the past but it has not been comprehensive nationally. It is time it was.

My colleague, Fisheries Minister David Benson-Pope, and I will shortly announce a national marine protected areas action plan in which we will seek to rectify this problem. We are envisaging a new region-byregion planning process where the Department of Conservation, the Ministry of Fisheries, local environmental and fishing groups, Maori and local councils, sit down and organise the need for and nature of marine protection in their district using the best available marine information.

They will have the opportunity to collectively evaluate what marine environments exist in their local waters, what areas are already protected, what are most in need of protection, and how they can best protect them. In doing so, they will have a whole variety of protection measures at their disposal, marine reserve status being the most significant.

This process will mean there are no surprises for any particular group, and all will have a real opportunity to participate, up-front, in the design of a network of marine protected areas. It will allow sensible trade-offs and compromises between groups to be made in a regional context, while advancing marine protection well beyond what we have achieved at present.

I envisage marine reserve applications that have already been notified, such as Great Barrier Island, and the advanced proposals for Mimiwhangata (Northland) and Nugget Point (Otago), proceeding through the current process, but any further new applications occurring only after regional planning.

In this way, I hope we can learn from history and only fight the battles that need to be fought, not those that don't.

After all, most New Zealanders agree we are the custodians of a unique natural bounty that we are only just beginning to understand. If we are to be successful in preserving it, we need to work together.

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