Hughes Gareth: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHughes Gareth: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 26 June 2014. Volume:699;Page:18954. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]10.GARETH HUGHES (Green)to the Minister of Conservation: Does he agree with the statement given on behalf of the Minister of Energy and Resources that “there has not been a single observation of a Māui’s dolphin in the block offer area”?Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister of Conservation):Yes if the part quote from the member is used in the intended context of the official Government Māui’s dolphin observer programme where in 809 days of monitoring not a single Māui’s dolphin was observed. This context was referred to later in the question.Gareth Hughes: Is the reason the Minister incorrectly told the House there had been no sightings—when in fact there are 10 listed on the Department of Conservation database—that he is trying to downplay the fact his Government is exposing the Māui’s dolphins to new risks?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: The sightings historically are difficult to locate accurately. They go back to 1970; GPS did not exist then. So it is quite difficult to determine exactly where they were. Of course we cannot differentiate from such sightings as to whether they are Māui’s or whether they are Hector’s dolphins. I would also point out that in 40 years of the oil and gas industry there has not been a single incident that has caused any harm to any Māui’s dolphin.Gareth Hughes: Did the Minister recently extend the Māui’s dolphin sanctuary on the basis of five confirmed sightings including with GPS locations; if so did he warn against seismic testing into 56 percent of his expanded sanctuary area?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: Prior to this Government there was no regulation of seismic exploration work. The exclusive economic environmental effects legislation has enabled the Government for the first time to have compulsory regulation of those that are doing seismic survey work to ensure that there is no harm to marine mammals. That is just another example with this Government’s programme of our improving the environmental protection for Maūi’s dolphins. That comes on top of us doubling the area of the set net ban.Gareth Hughes: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I appreciate that my question had two legs but neither of them was addressed. I asked: did he extend—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I disagree with the member. I think the second question was addressed.Joanne Hayes: What is the probability of finding a Māui’s dolphin in the 2014 block-off area as compared with their main habitat between the Kaipara and Kāwhia harbours?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: Ninety percent of the 975 historic sightings are in their main habitat which equates to 1.25 square kilometres. In the block-off area if we take the figures that the Green member asserts that is one sighting per 7500 square kilometres. That is the probability of finding a Māui’s dolphin in the block offer area is 1/3000th of that in the main habitat or 0.03 percent. This is very infrequent and very nearly zero.Gareth Hughes: Did the Minister reply to the recent Society for Marine Mammalogy’s letter to the Minister which opposed seismic testing in the Māui’s sanctuary and was his response to these more than 2000 international scientists: “Well I’m right and you’re wrong.”?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: I would be happy to invite any of those 2000 marine scientists who met in Europe to come and see what the Government has done to protect our Māui’s dolphins to see the internationally recognised regulations for seismic testing and to observe the fact that the Government has doubled the area of the set net ban. I would also note that since we have put those in place there has not been a single Māui’s dolphin death and I contrast that with the record of the previous Government where there were several Māui’s dolphin deaths.Joanne Hayes: What reports has the Minister seen on the evidence of harm to Māui’s dolphins from the oil and gas industry?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: I have seen a very strong statement saying that Māui’s dolphins are not posed any threat by the oil and gas industry albeit I also see another statement from a member of the same party who is saying that he does not share that view—that being Wayne Coffey. But I would also point out that that is just one of many areas where members opposite have contradictory views on natural resource issues.Gareth Hughes: Following on from that has the Minister read his own assessment of the threats to Māui’s dolphins which clearly lists seismic testing as a threat saying it is an impact likely to affect population trends in the next 5 years; and will the Minister therefore be following the example of California which to protect the non-endangered harbor porpoise has banned seismic testing in that area in order to protect our critically endangered Māui’s dolphins of which there are only 55 left on the planet.Mr SPEAKER: The Hon Dr Nick Smith—either of those questions.Hon Dr NICK SMITH: The Māui’s dolphin threat management plan identified that 95 percent of the risk to the Māui’s dolphins was from fishing that less than 1 percent of the risk was represented from the oil and gas industry and that for instance boats were more than 1 percent of the risk. That is if the member wants to be consistent and to say that he wants to take a zero-risk approach then he should ban all boat movements on the west coast of the North Island because they pose a greater risk than the oil and gas industry.