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While other parties are wavering on the proposed Kermadec ocean sanctuary, the Greens are staying resolute on closing off 620,000 square kilometres of ocean to commercial fishing.
Te Ohu Kaimoana says the plan unveiled by Prime Minister John Key at the United Nations Oceans Conference last year is at the cost of iwi fisheries quota and the Maori development right in the area.
Labour says the lesson of the foreshore and seabed challenge was that the Government must not extinguish Treaty rights by legislation, and it wants to see Te Ohu Kaimoana’s legal challenge determined before the bill proceeds.
The Maori Party also says the Government must ensure it can achieve its environmental goals without breaking its commitment to honouring its treaty obligation to Maori.
Greens co-leader Metiria Turei says she understands the concerns of iwi, but they’re on the wrong track.
"There are parts of our planet that are under severe threat and are so readily exploited by everyone that can get their hands on it that we have to set some areas aside so they have a chance to restore. That is the cost of being able to use our environment for both our personal needs and for commercial needs," she says.
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