– Inquiry

What more proof is needed before government acts?

May 24, 2018 We’ve seen the Heron Report on failures in our fishing industry, the Achilles and Hippocamp reports paint a devastating picture of the Ministry of Primary Industries working hand in glove with industry to avoid accountability, more recently we’ve seen the decimation of our crayfish stocks and now we’re told MPI and industry have been fudging […]

Cameras on boats – a vital step forward

February 16, 2018 Recreational fishing group LegaSea is calling on Minister of Fisheries Stuart Nash to stand firm against industry pressure to dump the introduction of cameras and electronic monitoring on commercial fishing boats. LegaSea is challenging industry claims that it is engaging in best practice fishing endeavours, and that cameras and other forms of monitoring are not […]

Calls for Commission of Inquiry into fisheries mismanagement grow

September 4, 2017 Four political parties have joined LegaSea and the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council’s call for an inquiry into the state of New Zealand’s fisheries management practices. New Zealand First, the Māori Party, United Future and the New Zealand Outdoors Party have all agreed New Zealand’s fisheries management needs an overhaul and cannot continue the way […]

Licensing a smokescreen for real agenda

August 1, 2017 The New Zealand Initiative, a consultancy that is paid to produce reports of a right wing nature, has produced a report that says recreational fishers need to be licensed because of a massive problem in the fishing sector. There is a massive problem in the fishing sector – recreational fishers are not it. The report’s […]

Cameras not fit for purpose

July 25, 2017 Another chapter in the series of failures by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) was uncovered in an MPI report. This report suggested that the cameras being installed to monitor commercial fishing activity are not up to the task. The report stated that the cameras were unable to reliably distinguish species and sizes of fish, […]

Ombudsman reveals more deceit

July 20, 2017 A media storm erupted last year with the release of Glen Simmons’ Catch Reconstruction Report. This report outlined the unprecedented levels of unreported catch to the United Nations by New Zealand Officials and was accompanied by internal Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) reports that revealed knowledge of widespread commercial dumping. MPI’s Director of Fisheries, Dave Turner, […]

Fisheries reports locked away

July 14, 2017 It is a concern for all of us that the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has once again shown they are unwilling or unable to show the public how they are carrying out their statutory duties. This time, in the form of a blanket refusal to share more than 100 reports requested under the Official […]

Ministry fails in its duty of care

June 7, 2017 News that the Ministry for Primary Industries has failed to ensure cameras being installed on fishing boats are fit for purpose is just the latest in a series of failures by the ministry in overseeing New Zealand’s fisheries. Newshub’s Michael Morrah has uncovered an MPI report that suggests the cameras being installed to monitor fishing […]

Collusion and cover-ups continue

May 11, 2017 Over time various government functions have been passed over to Crown institutes and established researchers. This hand-over is acceptable if stakeholders have had a say, and if the transfer is to accredited parties. However, the passover of more fisheries management functions and administrative powers to FishServe, a company owned and operated by the fishing industry […]

LegaSea renews calls for a full inquiry into MPI activity

April 14, 2017 When the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) failed to prosecute industrial fishing boat captains for dumping catch it blamed legal advice for the decision. Now we are told that legal advice never existed. Instead, MPI used misleading information and misdirected both the Minister and the public as to why blatant dumping of fish recorded on […]