3. Question No. 3—ConservationMARAMA DAVIDSON (Co-Leader—Green) to the Minister of ConservationQuestion No. 3—Conservation3. MARAMA DAVIDSON (Co-Leader—Green) to the Minister of Conservation: What measures did she announce yesterday to help protect the Māui and Hector's dolphins?Hon EUGENIE SAGE (Minister of Conservation): I am delighted that yesterday the Minister of Fisheries Stuart Nash and I announced vastly strengthened measures to look after Māui and Hector's dolphins as part of a stronger threat management plan. In terms of the non-fisheries measures we're doubling the size of marine mammal sanctuaries for Māui and Hector's dolphins by significantly extending the West Coast North Island and the Banks Peninsula sanctuaries to cover 37286 square kilometres—more than the area of land we have protected in national parks. We are ensuring that those sanctuaries are genuine by our plans to prohibit new permits for seismic surveying and seabed mining in those two expanded sanctuaries and another four sanctuaries. These measures are really important because Māui dolphin are critically endangered and these precious marine mammals Māui and Hector's are only found in New Zealand waters.Marama Davidson: What does the toxoplasmosis action plan involve and why is that important?Hon EUGENIE SAGE: Toxoplasmosis is caused exclusively by cats. It's spread through oocysts in their faeces which storm-water runoff into rivers and streams carries into the sea. Toxoplasmosis has been confirmed as a cause of death in sexually mature females which is a problem when you have only 63 adult Māui dolphins left. So the toxoplasmosis action plan will involve research to investigate the gaps in scientific knowledge and to investigate and trial solutions to reduce or eliminate the transfer of the parasite's oocysts into waterways such as riparian and estuarine planting.Marama Davidson: What do you say to the thousands of people who submitted on the proposals to update the threat management plan and wanted it to go further?SPEAKER: Order! Order! I'm going to ask the member to rephrase the question.Marama Davidson: What do you say to the thousands—Hon Grant Robertson: What does she" say.Marama Davidson: What does the Minister—SPEAKER: I say nothing. I'm Sergeant Schultz—I see nothing; I say nothing. Marama Davidson: What does she say to the thousands of people who submitted on the proposals to update the threat management plan and wanted it to go further?Hon EUGENIE SAGE: We know that New Zealanders care deeply about Māui and Hector's dolphins. There were more than 15000 submissions and a 78000-signature petition on options for improving their protection as part of the review of the threat management plan. I received lots of letters from children including a dolphin mobile. I think the measures which Minister Nash and I have come to and the robust discussions between the Ministry of Fisheries and the Department of Conservation mean we have a good solid plan to protect the dolphins. Marama Davidson: What does she say to the fishers who will be affected?Hon EUGENIE SAGE: As the Minister of Fisheries also has a question on the Order Paper I know he will expand on these. But we know that no fisher wants to catch a dolphin a sea lion or a seabird. So that's why I'm really pleased as Minister of Conservation that this Government is supporting fishers with a targeted support package to enable them to transition away to more sustainable methods or to move their fishing outside the known Māui range."