June 08, 2017
Statoil protect wins support
Maori Party co-leader Marama Fox has endorsed efforts by Te Ikaroa to draw international attention to Maori oppostion to oil exploration off the East Coast.
The group, which represents 80 Tairawhiti hapu and iwi has been at the United Nations Oceans Conference in New York this week attempting to hand a petition to Norwegian government representatives.
Ms Fox says there is widespread concern in the area about the activities of the Amazon Warrior which is conducting seismic surveys in and around the Hikurangi Trench on behalf of Norwegian-owned Statoil.
"That Hikurangi Trench is the super highway straight to the islands. This is the way our ancestors came down with the currents, that is the way our tuna go up to Tonga to spawn. It's where out tohora fly on their way north and around the rest of the world, so this is a very valuble place for us," she says.
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