Heatley Phil: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Heatley Phil: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:635;Page:6501] 
10.  
PHIL HEATLEY (National—Whangarei) 
 to the  
Associate Minister of Fisheries 
: What action if any has the Minister taken to address non-reporting of customary fishing activity since seven of the 15 iwi or hapu groups required to put in quarterly reports under the Fisheries (Kaimoana Customary Fishing) Regulations 1998 have not done so for 2 years which equates to eight consecutive reports? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Associate Minister of Fisheries) 
: 
 In relation to the kaimoana reports I am concerned at the level of non-reporting. Ministry officials are working closely with the relevant groups to improve reporting. 
Phil Heatley 
: Why did the Minister’s office write that it was choosing to take a “partnership approach to the regulations with our Treaty partner rather than an enforcement approach” when the law states that quarterly returns must be provided; and is the Minister aware of whether the police or the Customs Service are also taking a partnership approach rather than an enforcement approach to burglary drug running or anything else? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: That was a little wide of the question. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: I think the partnership approach is a great approach in the sense that regulation 27 of the amateur fishing regulations which are currently in place over a large part of New Zealand does not require any returns for customary catch. 
Dr Ashraf Choudhary 
: What initiatives have been undertaken by the Minister to support the management of customary fishing? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: I have met with a number of iwi groups on weeknights and during the weekends regarding the establishment of iwi forums. The forums will work with the Ministry of Fisheries to develop and implement programmes to ensure that the requirements of the regulations are properly carried out. Other things include the employment of pou hononga who are advisers and people with regulation expertise to assist people on the ground—who are generally hau kainga people doing it voluntarily—the development of a database to better monitor customary harvest and the establishment of a training programme for kaitiaki. 
Phil Heatley 
: What sort of message does it send to iwi like Ngai Tahu who always file quarterly reports and obey all the rules when this Minister turns a blind eye to seven iwi in his electorate and can commercial and recreational fishers also look forward to a partnership rather than an enforcement approach; and how can we possibly keep track of fish stocks for everyone’s benefit—Maori commercial and recreational fishers alike—if this Minister will not insist on catch reporting? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: The great thing about Ngai Tahu in so many ways is that because they got off the rank first they are a good model of consistency. What we have done in the sense of the document I have here is ensure that those who are behind are catching up. I tell that member that a whole lot of other groups have reported consistently. Some of them have been patchy—certainly; that is right. But it will be quite surprising to members that in the magazine of the New Zealand Seafood Industry Council there is an article stating: “A practical training programme initiated by SITO is helping tangata whenua rebuild and sustainably manage their customary fisheries taonga and as Sheridan Gundry discovered it is winning some rave reviews.” That person is one of the top international writers and the article actually made the cover of the magazine. I will give the member a copy. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Would members respect that when a member is still on his or her feet they do not rise. 
Phil Heatley 
: Apart from the poor reporting why did the ministry do 267 regulation 27 customary fishery inspections in the year before the customary rules were supposedly tightened but only 81 inspections in the year after the customary rules were supposedly tightened? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: In 1998 the National Party did nothing. It did nothing for 2 years—nothing whatsoever; zip. What the Ministry has done is really improve the performance going forward. We need to keep in mind that the Ministry is made up of hard-working people who support partnerships on the ground. 
Phil Heatley 
: When Dover Samuels said in 2004: “… if we keep abusing and depleting our fisheries there will be nothing left for Maori to have customary rights over.” and the then Minister of Fisheries David Benson-Pope responded: “I plan to start work on tightening up the customary fishing regime.” why has this Minister since then firstly not insisted that hapu in his electorate file quarterly reports and secondly slashed the number of regulation 27 customary fishing inspections by two-thirds? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: It is important for that member to remind himself of what I just said about the performance of the ministry and what is happening. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Please be seated. Members will be leaving the Chamber. It is impossible to hear the Minister’s answer yet there was silence when the member asked his question. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: My colleague Dover Samuels knows all about this—about the people who are pillaging raping and setting-to on the kai moana the seafood. We will see them all at Christmas—the Pakehas the Asians and the Maori—getting stuck in. What this Government is doing something about is making sure it is looked after. I am not too sure what that member is insinuating. Only about 5 percent of the North Island coastline is covered by customary regulations and the take is minor compared with other takes of kai moana. It is minor compared with what everybody else savages and raids the seabed over. 
Phil Heatley 
: I seek leave to table an Official Information Act request that shows that quarterly fishing returns have not been filed by half the North Island hapu groups in that Minister’s electorate in the last 2 years. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? Yes there is objection. 
Phil Heatley 
: I seek leave to table the annual report of the Ministry of Fisheries which shows that only 81 customary fishing inspections were carried out this year with 267 in the previous year. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection. 
Phil Heatley 
: I seek leave to table a document from the Minister’s office saying that they were choosing to take a partnership approach rather than an enforcement approach. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Phil Heatley 
: I seek leave to table various reports that show Dover Samuels railing against customary fishing abuses and David Benson-Pope fixing them. 
Madam SPEAKER 
:. Is there any objection? Yes there is objection. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I indicate to the member that if he seeks leave to table the response on the Official Information Act I do not think there would be objection. I think it was the request he wanted to table. 
Phil Heatley 
: I seek leave to table the response to the Official Information Act request that was chased up by the Ombudsman because it was refused— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. We all know what it is now. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.