Hughes Gareth: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Hughes Gareth: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 25 October 2012. Volume:685;Page:6212. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
8. 
GARETH HUGHES (Green) 
 to the  
Minister of Foreign Affairs 
: Why did New Zealand pull out of a joint proposal with the United States to create a marine reserve in Antarctica’s Ross Sea? 
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations) 
on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs: The underlying premise of the question is wrong. New Zealand did not pull out of a joint proposal with the United States to create a marine reserve in the Ross Sea. 
Gareth Hughes 
: Did the Minister take a recommendation to Cabinet to support tabling either a joint New Zealand proposal or just a New Zealand proposal at the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources meeting this week? 
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON 
: The matter was discussed at Cabinet. There are two proposals as the member recognises: there is the United States proposal and our proposal. They have a lot in common. There are some differences. For example there is one area where the United States wants to engage in krill fishing—we do not. As it turned out we did not pull out of any proposal. We said there are two proposals on the table and they can be taken to Hobart for discussion which is carrying on as we speak. 
Gareth Hughes 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It was a good answer with lots of detail. The question was what the recommendation was that the Minister took to Cabinet. It would be good to get some information on the recommendation. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: It seemed to me the Minister did answer. He said it seems that the decision was that both papers would go forward to the conference in Tasmania and that is I think what the Minister’s answer was. 
Gareth Hughes 
: Given that New Zealand sent the first boats to fish in the Ross Sea and takes half the current toothfish catch does the Minister acknowledge that New Zealand might be seen by some countries to be acting in our vested fishing interests at the expense of this pristine last ocean? 
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON 
: No. 
Gareth Hughes 
: Does he accept that New Zealand will shoulder the blame if no agreement to protect the Ross Sea is reached at the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources given our refusal—which has been quoted in the media by Ministers Brownlee Carter and Joyce—to stop working on a joint US proposal? 
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON 
: No. New Zealand is a sovereign country. It has put forward a proposal. I do not necessarily think we should be slavishly pro-American in all respects. The member is disclosing some pro-Americanism and I imagine Russel Norman will be counselling him after question time. 
Gareth Hughes 
: Does the Minister want New Zealand’s legacy to be the protection of Sanford’s fishing interests in the Ross Sea or the preservation for current and future generations of this amazing pristine environment? 
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON 
: I think the member’s position is as off-the-wall as Holly’s lobbying legislation— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! Some attempt to answer the question prior to any such comment would have been helpful. 
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON 
: No New Zealand’s position is that it is anxious to establish in the southern oceans a reserve that will be nine times the size of New Zealand’s waters and that will be a tremendous legacy which our great Minister of Foreign Affairs will achieve. 
Gareth Hughes 
: I seek leave to table a media document. It is from the  
Australian 
 newspaper which is not often available in New Zealand where the chairman of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources said that the failure of New Zealand and the US to have a joint proposal has made it more difficult to reach an agreement. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection.