NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Kahu

Fish bill hooks Labour Maori MPs

Claire Trevett
By Claire Trevett
Political Editor, NZ Herald·
21 May, 2007 05:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

KEY POINTS:

Labour's Maori MPs are heading for a showdown with Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton tonight over legislation that changes the rules on how fish-catch limits are decided. The politicians fear supporting the bill could lose them votes at the next election.

Maori groups believe the measure will result in
unfair decisions that could hurt the $750 million in assets secured in the 1992 Treaty fisheries settlement.

The Fisheries Act Amendment Bill provides that where there are gaps in the information available on fish stocks, the minister must take a precautionary approach and favour sustainability over commercial interests when setting catch limits.

The present law does not specify whether preservation or commercial interests should take precedent in such circumstances.

Labour's Maori MPs are understood to be reluctant to support the law change, which would give the Maori Party ammunition against them in the battle to win the Maori seats at the next election.

Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples has warned that any support for a law that could hurt Maori fisheries would result in a backlash for the Labour MPs. He said the fisheries assets were a significant part of Maori wealth.

"The Maori Party and other parties would have to use that politically if [Labour Maori MPs] supported it, to show Maori people they do not represent that voice. It is these bills that really test them," Dr Sharples said.

Maori fisheries groups have lobbied Labour Maori MPs, claiming the change will affect the 1992 Treaty fisheries settlement and gives decision-makers too much leeway to ignore commercial interests even where there is no evidence that fish numbers are low.

Shane Jones, chairman of Labour's nine-strong Maori caucus and a director of Te Ohu Kaimoana, which administers Maori fisheries assets, would not say whether the MPs would ask for the bill to be withdrawn or vote against it if it went ahead.

However, he said there were concerns.

"We are caught in the middle really. There are strong arguments to ensure sustainability is not watered down, but equally compelling arguments that sustainability should be based on high-quality information," Mr Jones said.

"So it's the classic case where the Maori caucus can see benefits in both cases."

However, Mr Anderton said the concerns were a result of industry lobbyists generating "unfounded and unnecessary" anxiety because of the rushed introduction of the bill.

The change is designed to clarify the law to prevent legal challenges such as last year's action of Anton's Fisheries against the decision to reduce the commercial orange roughy catch limits by 43 per cent in the area off the north of the North Island.

The minister said there was "less consultation than ideal" when he introduced the bill in March but the urgency was necessary to get it passed by August - in time to apply to decisions made before the October start of the next fishing season.

If the law was not in place by then, any decisions made for the new fishing season were open to legal challenge, Mr Anderton said.

Robin Hapi, chief executive of Aotearoa Fisheries, backed the view of the Seafood Industry Council's submission on the bill that the present law was sufficient to meet international obligations and to preserve fish stocks.

He said the legislation would result in uncertainty and change the rules under which Maori had agreed to the fisheries settlement.

The primary production select committee was initially due to report back on the bill by June 4.

However, after concerns over the lack of consultation, it has asked for an extension until August to allow it to consider it more fully.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Police hold concerns for missing Auckland teen who left home address

29 Jun 09:38 AM
New Zealand

Police investigate unexplained death in Canterbury town

29 Jun 08:37 AM
New Zealand

Tenant in fight with Kāinga Ora over dogs evicted after repeated abuse

29 Jun 08:00 AM

Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Recommended for you
Lawson claims new F1 career-best finish, takes sixth-place finish in Austria
Formula 1

Lawson claims new F1 career-best finish, takes sixth-place finish in Austria

29 Jun 02:46 PM
There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently
Sponsored Stories

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

29 Jun 12:00 PM
Police hold concerns for missing Auckland teen who left home address
New Zealand

Police hold concerns for missing Auckland teen who left home address

29 Jun 09:38 AM
Police investigate unexplained death in Canterbury town
New Zealand

Police investigate unexplained death in Canterbury town

29 Jun 08:37 AM
Southern Europe faces scorching heatwave as temperatures soar amid climate change
World

Southern Europe faces scorching heatwave as temperatures soar amid climate change

29 Jun 08:32 AM

Latest from New Zealand

Police hold concerns for missing Auckland teen who left home address

Police hold concerns for missing Auckland teen who left home address

29 Jun 09:38 AM

The 17-year-old was last seen in Albany on Friday.

Police investigate unexplained death in Canterbury town

Police investigate unexplained death in Canterbury town

29 Jun 08:37 AM
Tenant in fight with Kāinga Ora over dogs evicted after repeated abuse

Tenant in fight with Kāinga Ora over dogs evicted after repeated abuse

29 Jun 08:00 AM
Govt adds 2 years to prison sentences for assaults on first responders, prison officers

Govt adds 2 years to prison sentences for assaults on first responders, prison officers

29 Jun 06:24 AM
There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently
sponsored

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search