Donnelly Brian: Marine Reserves (Consultation with Stakeholders) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Donnelly Brian: Marine Reserves (Consultation with Stakeholders) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:631;Page:3161] 
Hon BRIAN DONNELLY (NZ First) 
: 
 I want to make the point that New Zealand First has long believed that the opportunity to throw out a fishing line and catch a fish is part of every New Zealander’s birthright and must be protected for future generations. It is something that makes this country absolutely unique and special to live in and for young people to grow up in. But I have to say that recreational fishers—and I am one myself—are not silly. They recognise the benefits of reserves. They also recognise the benefits of the spillover and how it actually improves their own take. But the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society has an agenda to turn 20 percent of our coastal waters into reserves and the Government has obviously indicated that it wants to turn 10 percent. Naturally people are anxious and worried about that. Therefore we believe that New Zealanders should be consulted about plans for reserves at an early stage of the process. So we will be voting for the bill to go to the select committee. 
We congratulate the member who introduced the bill Eric Roy because one can see his obvious experience from many years in select committees reflected in the way it was drawn up. We will await the select committee’s scrutiny before we give a guarantee of continued support however. 
 I want to hark back to 1997 when I was a Minister and Dr Nick Smith was the Minister of Conservation. He invited me to a dinner in Ngunguru to meet with Dr Wade Doak and a number of other marine scientists to talk over the issue of the Poor Knights Islands which were a partial reserve at that time but not a full reserve. We discussed the matter and then he consulted with me. He asked me whether I believed they should be turned into a full reserve. I admit that the arguments were compelling and I said yes I did believe they should become a full reserve. There was opposition particularly from recreational fishers but also from charter boat companies and other groups. 
I went to see the Poor Knights Islands for the first time a couple of months ago when there were celebrations for 25 years of the initial reserve having been set up. I had never been there before. The reserve is an absolute gem. If people have not visited the Poor Knights Islands they have not seen New Zealand. They have the biggest marine cave in the world. Evidently a German submarine was put in there—the one that lay the mines that blew up the  
Niagara 
 during the war. But below the surface is just amazing. I have never seen snapper as big as that. I did not know they existed. 
Hon Dover Samuels 
: Rikoriko Cave. 
Hon BRIAN DONNELLY 
: Rikoriko Cave yes. I have never seen snapper the size I saw them there. [ 
Interruption 
] They were massive. And there was a whole range of species. Probably the fish at Goat Island— 
Hon Mita Ririnui 
: Is it a marine reserve or what? 
Hon BRIAN DONNELLY 
: It is a reserve. It is a massive reserve. 
Hon Mita Ririnui 
: Well why did you catch it? 
Hon BRIAN DONNELLY 
: I did not catch it. I was under the water looking at them. I was just looking at them and it was a fantastic experience. [ 
Interruption 
] The member would not have been looking at them; he would have been under the water catching them. 
There are probably more fish around Goat Island but the range of species around the Poor Knights Islands is magnificent. By talking that night to the scientists and to Wade Doak himself I learnt they are flabbergasted at how quickly the whole area has been replenished and the water has been restocked with fish particularly stocks of snapper. So I say to Dr Nick Smith that people out there were full of praise. He made a courageous decision and it actually paid off. He made the right decision. 
However there is still some grumpiness left and it is not over whether he made the right decision—the charter boats just turned into diving charter boats—it is about the fact that people were not consulted. Nick Smith has said that this Government has made a complete mess of the consultation process and unfortunately it was not strong at that particular time either. In particular Ngati Wai who perceive themselves as the kaitiaki and Ngati Taka which is the hapu in Ngunguru itself believe that the National Government rolled straight over them and did not consult them. They agree that there should be a reserve there and they have argued for it but they also believe that they should have been part of the process. 
All that we in New Zealand First can say is that we believe that this bill by having consultation at an early stage of the whole process will overcome some of the grumpiness and leave it behind. The same outcomes will flow through because of the genuine benefits that such reserves provide to New Zealand. I also say that if people have not been to the Poor Knights Islands they should use the opportunity over the Christmas holidays to take a trip up to Northland.