Speaker 1: You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from News Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2: The government has announced changes to the Hoeki Golf Protection Act.
Speaker 2: It sounds great the press release. I read it. I thought, well,
Speaker 2: there's not much to see here. They're committing to restoring
Speaker 2: the health and maori of the h Rechi golf. They're
Speaker 2: passing the Hoeki Golf Marine Protection Bill and they're talking
Speaker 2: about nineteen new marine protection areas, tripling the space protected
Speaker 2: by the Gulf and sounds great. So what's the opposition
Speaker 2: all about? And to discuss that? And the Minister of
Speaker 2: Conservation joins me. Now Tama Portaka, good afternoon.
Speaker 3: Shut out Tim and thanks for having me on your show.
Speaker 2: Yeah, thanks for joining us. Look, I read your press
Speaker 2: release and it all sounded like, oh, this is lovely
Speaker 2: and wholesome, and then we have this chorus of opposition
Speaker 2: starting with the World Wildlife Federal. I can't remember the
Speaker 2: name ww your efort's just call it that. Dr Kayla
Speaker 2: Kingden Bebb says, to have these last minute changes rammed
Speaker 2: through is this result of sleazy backdoor lobbying, which are
Speaker 2: Oceans and Fisheries ministers was willing to entertain as a
Speaker 2: complete and utter disgrace. What's up?
Speaker 3: I think it's important to reach back to first principles
Speaker 3: to know the Hodaky gold will teach up of wine
Speaker 3: as an iconic and a majestic place that many many
Speaker 3: Aucklanders and many New Zealand as treasure. It's one of
Speaker 3: the most magnificent places in Old or New Zealand. And
Speaker 3: it's important that we safeguard and ensure that some of
Speaker 3: the terrible environmental and other matters that are effecting the
Speaker 3: health and well being of the Gulf right fast and
Speaker 3: recalibrated and protected heads fire. We've got this proposed legislation
Speaker 3: that's been going through Parliament for years and now we're
Speaker 3: in a space where essentially we're going to pass ninety
Speaker 3: six percent of what was introduced.
Speaker 2: What are they upset about then? Is it because of
Speaker 2: the ring net fishing and allowing certain fishers to do
Speaker 2: that sort of activity.
Speaker 3: Oh, I think that's probably a question that's best post
Speaker 3: of the chorus of voices. But for the most part,
Speaker 3: I think most people actually very enthusiastic and motivated to
Speaker 3: look after the golf, and I will appreciate this government's
Speaker 3: effort to curate a solution that strikes the right balance
Speaker 3: between the environment, economy community and EWE and other groups.
Speaker 2: You were there actually late changes because I gather that
Speaker 2: you worked with a bunch of interest groups on this
Speaker 2: had you made some late changes regarding commercial fisheries.
Speaker 3: We have made a couple of changes from the bill
Speaker 3: as introduced. That's after reflecting the direction of travel that
Speaker 3: this government has and also the need to strike the
Speaker 3: right balance. We've got white advice and wide range of
Speaker 3: advice and opinion. But ultimately there is a few changes.
Speaker 3: I don't think it does anything to the structure of
Speaker 3: the body and the direction of travel, and that's what's important.
Speaker 3: We've got nineteen new protection areas, a couple of additions
Speaker 3: to the existing reserves y protect sea for areas, but
Speaker 3: importantly taking action. There is a provision a very narrow
Speaker 3: exemption for a small number of groups to do some
Speaker 3: ring net fishing on specific species yet to be drafted,
Speaker 3: but it will be a very narrow provision.
Speaker 2: Who are those groups that get to do that ring
Speaker 2: net fishing? How do we sort of.
Speaker 3: Define There's five or six groups that have fished in
Speaker 3: the last couple of years in these areas, mainly fishing
Speaker 3: ace or catch around Ha Hawaii, Trivali puddle there and
Speaker 3: mullet and there will be some drafting to be concluded
Speaker 3: after final policy advice is given to my Minisserial Police
Speaker 3: and myself and then that will essentially close out the
Speaker 3: four or five amendments that we've made too or we
Speaker 3: are going to propose so that always received back from
Speaker 3: the Selik Committee and then we will present it to
Speaker 3: Parliament and Parliament will decide progressive for it.
Speaker 2: So are there likely to be are you anticipating that
Speaker 2: there will be a few changes to it? Maybe to
Speaker 2: allay the concerns of well, we've got the Greens, Labor,
Speaker 2: the World Widelife Fund, the Tody Adams, Toby Adams talking
Speaker 2: on behalf of another group O company, the hierarchy goal
Speaker 2: for them, that's right, that's the one. So there are
Speaker 2: a bunch of people unhappy. What do you think would
Speaker 2: allay their concerns?
Speaker 3: Well, I think, to be fair to the groups that
Speaker 3: you've mentioned have generally been unhappy with a lot of
Speaker 3: things that this government has done and to keep the
Speaker 3: economy moving again, whether it was the fast rank or
Speaker 3: some pharmacy changes to the r m A or indeed
Speaker 3: other matters who have had done to take across the economy,
Speaker 3: law and order, health, education, housing and a few other matters.
Speaker 3: And I don't think there's any surprise. What's important to
Speaker 3: us those who ensure that there is progress that the
Speaker 3: bulk of what was introduced will be carried through to legislation.
Speaker 3: And we've still got to go through the second reading
Speaker 3: in the Committee of the Whole House, where the chances
Speaker 3: we're announced will be put to Parliament to put to
Speaker 3: the test of the chamber.
Speaker 2: Is part of it just simply that in government, you know,
Speaker 2: you're trying to balance environmental considerations with being practical about
Speaker 2: what commercial interests you can still allow to persist. Is
Speaker 2: that the whole thing and really what we're dealing with
Speaker 2: if I put aside the Greens and labor and obviously
Speaker 2: there's politics at play all the time, but if you
Speaker 2: look at the WWARE from the hierarchy golf forum, is
Speaker 2: it simply that their stance is always pushing towards no
Speaker 2: commercial activity, no ring fishing, and you're just trying to
Speaker 2: find that balance.
Speaker 3: Absolutely, you know, I think many people have set ideologies
Speaker 3: and set positions, and in the political space in which
Speaker 3: we operate, my Minister of Colleagues and Art, and we
Speaker 3: take a wide range of advice and opinions and we
Speaker 3: try and strike a balance. And it's hard to keep
Speaker 3: everybody happier all of the time. Actually it's nearly impossible,
Speaker 3: So we have to we do have to strike a balance.
Speaker 3: And the groups that we're proposed that ringheaders a very
Speaker 3: narrow small number of groups under specific conditions, and generally
Speaker 3: often these ring neet fishing communities are supplying lower cost
Speaker 3: fish to pretty challenged communities communities throughout Auckland and through
Speaker 3: the supermarket value chain. Think it's important price to just
Speaker 3: picture that in terms of three to four percent changes
Speaker 3: to enact changes to a bill which is going in
Speaker 3: the right direction.
Speaker 2: Are those local communities? Are the organizations are going to
Speaker 2: be able to do that sort of fishing. Are they
Speaker 2: sort of EWI based or they simply just companies or
Speaker 2: businesses that have been engaged in that activity already.
Speaker 3: My understanding is that some of them are more Pacifica based,
Speaker 3: or do serve the lower socioeconomic communities that often include
Speaker 3: Pacifica and Malorti, particularly in places like Auckland.
Speaker 2: Can you paint it just a quick picture, so you're
Speaker 2: talking about nineteen new marine protection areas, which will nearly
Speaker 2: triple the space protected in the Gulf. Can you put
Speaker 2: that into context in terms of the size of the
Speaker 2: Gulf and what is and will be protected.
Speaker 3: Well, the size of the golf is massive, you know,
Speaker 3: it's one point two million kickties or thereabouts. It's a spithomus.
Speaker 3: It's a huge, huge space. And right through to the
Speaker 3: other side around Ahuahu or Mercury Island and the Automan's
Speaker 3: right up to a great barrier and across past what
Speaker 3: we often call to Harwood, our Monkey or Goat Island
Speaker 3: up in the main marine r two marine reserves will
Speaker 3: be expanded, the one up there at Lee and the
Speaker 3: finally our Hay or Cathedral Cove Marine Reserve will be expanded.
Speaker 3: There will be ten, sorry twelve what we call high
Speaker 3: protection areas. Was generally there will be no fishing in
Speaker 3: except a couple where you have these ring exemptions and
Speaker 3: that will be reviewed after three years. And then you
Speaker 3: have what we call sea floor protection areas, and there
Speaker 3: are big that we about five of those where there's
Speaker 3: no commercial contact fishing, so no bottom trawling and person
Speaker 3: saying fishing. What we've got what we've got is a
Speaker 3: whole range of reserves dotted all over the gulf. Some
Speaker 3: over the other side of the tunnel peck or on
Speaker 3: the other side of Cromental, on the other side of
Speaker 3: the peninsula, over by the automans, some around. Uh little
Speaker 3: barrier or hope to do as we go if you're around,
Speaker 3: why Hicky and and I need more to topic?
Speaker 2: Okay, just one last question. So I presented there the
Speaker 2: opposition voices who don't like the exemptions for a few
Speaker 2: commercial organizations on the other side of the coin. Are
Speaker 2: there any organizations or voices that are opposed to you
Speaker 2: increasing the number of marine protection there.
Speaker 3: Well, I think that there's been a really gallant and
Speaker 3: valiant effort across many EWE stakeholder groups and others to
Speaker 3: ensure there's the right balance, and it's got to a
Speaker 3: stage where most people were sort of comfortable with where
Speaker 3: it landed. We've had a couple of minor changes, but
Speaker 3: the structure and the skeleton of this legislation continues to
Speaker 3: be in place. We're really motivated in enthusiasque about carrying
Speaker 3: it forward, as I'm sure most Aucklanders will be excellent.
Speaker 2: Tama Portaker I really appreciate your time this afternoon. Thanks
Speaker 2: so much.
Speaker 3: Thanks mate. Down a later, Jerry, Jerry.
Speaker 2: Over bye excellent. So you can text your feedback on
Speaker 2: nine two ninety two. By the way, nineteen nine two.
Speaker 2: It is fascinating actually the politics of this because you
Speaker 2: listen to TAMA and as they say they're trying to
Speaker 2: balance various interests with us. It sounds entirely reasonable about it.
Speaker 2: To tell you what you should read the press releases
Speaker 2: for the Hodaki Gulf Forum. Labor and the Greens obviously
Speaker 2: will have been opposing, but the World Widelife Fund as
Speaker 2: well and talking about sleazy backround deals and stuff, and
Speaker 2: so it's pretty hard hitting things.
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