Public consultation is one of the few times that everyday New Zealanders can have a say on the future management of our fisheries. It’s also when our team at LegaSea, the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council and representative organisations pull together decades of knowledge, science and lived experience to advocate for more fish in the water.
But the way this government treats public input shows just how far we’ve drifted from anything resembling meaningful engagement.
Box-ticking and not listening
We recently wrapped up public consultation for the October ‘sustainability’ reviews. Fisheries NZ released proposals to review catch limits for 29 different fish stocks, then gave the public just 21 working days to respond. This is the least amount of time we’ve ever been given to submit on so many fish stocks at once.
The intention was clear – overwhelm the public, burn out the not-for-profit organisations and hope everyone cracks under pressure.
Just when you thought it couldn’t get more cynical, three hours before submissions closed, the Minister granted a token five working-day extension. This move confirmed there is no goodwill when it comes to consulting the public on the future management of our fish. Meaningful engagement is becoming as rare as scallops in Coromandel.
The Fisheries Reform Scam returns…
The Minister has just announced that the government has agreed to proceed with proposals to limit public consultation further. If passed into law, the legislation would allow the Minister to set catch limits for specific species for up to five years at a time, with only one chance for public consultation.
It’s clear the public isn’t keen on this either. Out of the 25,000 submissions we received opposing the Ministers’ so-called ‘reforms’ to the Fisheries Act, 93% of submitters did not support proposals to limit public consultation.
Despite the immense public opposition, the Minister is bulldozing through with his proposals. Worse yet, the government seems to support it too.
Public consultation is not a favour, or a nice to have, it’s a legal obligation. But this government is determined to sidestep it because Kiwis aren’t buying what they’re selling.
Ignoring our voices
Legally, Ministerial officials must consider what the public says in these consultations. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they are obliged to act on them.
In December 2023, more than 97% of submissions on the proposed trawl corridors in the Hauraki Gulf supported a complete ban of bottom trawling in the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park.
Our united public voice fell on deaf ears. The Minister has ignored widespread public opposition, scrapping the idea of restricting trawling so trawling can continue.
The reason the public isn’t being taken seriously is that we disagree with Shane Jones’ vision to export more fish faster for short-term profit. We want more fish in the water, not less.
Ironically, a thriving fishery benefits the commercial fishing industry in the long term too. More fish in the water makes transitioning to selective fishing methods such as long-lining more economically viable.
But instead of leading that transition for the benefit of our future generations, the government is treating public opposition like another inconvenient road cone to be managed.
As Matt Watson said “We want to be the first generation to give our kids and grandkids a healthier, more abundant coastal fishery than the one we inherited.”
To do so we need to transition away from destructive fishing methods and focus on rebuilding our coastal fisheries and we’ll keep on saying that even though it’s inconvenient for those in power.
