May 01, 2018
Maori blamed for fisheries shortcomings
National’s Maori affairs spokesperson Nuk Korako says a new book on New Zealand’s fisheries quota management system is an unwarranted and inaccurate attack on Maori fishers.
Voices From the Sea by Environmental Defence Society policy analyst policy Raewyn Peart blames the Maori fisheries settlement for creating a barrier to new entrants and reduces the flexibility to adjust the fisheries management system over time.
Mr Korako says the book confuses the operation of the quota management system with the role of the Fisheries Act in setting sustainable catch levels.
He says Maori fishers seem to be blamed for any real or perceived shortcomings in the system.
"This is actually about Maori and how they take their kaitiaki responsibilities so seriously because we want to see our kids benefit from the fisheries we are trying to protect, and that is exactly how the quota management system was developed," Mr Korako says.
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