Opinion: Follow the rules and make the most of whitebaiting season

Kāpiti Mayor K. Gurunathan. Photo / Jack Penman

Weekly column by Kāpiti Mayor K. Gurunathan

The whitebait season started on Sunday. In my previous life as a journalist I made a regular pilgrimage to the Waikanae River Estuary to talk to the whitebaiters.

An interesting collection of people spanning the community from the unemployed to the mechanic, from a real estate agent to a lawyer, and more. All hoping to catch a feed. Everyone was a winner because, even if the whitebait was not running, you got quality time communing with nature and the environment. It's a quirky Kiwi thing.

But whitebaiting at the Waikanae Estuary poses a problem. It's also the Waikanae Estuary Scientific Reserve, which means it has the highest conservation protection. Despite that, it's the only such reserve where fishing is allowed. The reserve bylaw, managed by DoC, however, does not permit the driving of vehicles in the reserve. Something that has irked some whitebaiters who prefer to drive to the riverbank with their fishing gear and the indoor comfort of the car.

It's not just DoC - two other agencies also have parallel jurisdictions that ban vehicles in this sensitive ecological area. Greater Wellington Regional Council's Natural Resources Plan bans vehicles along the Coastal Marine Area unless you have a resource consent. Iwi who helped shape this plan consider the estuary an ecologically sensitive area. The KCDC is the third authority and its Beach Bylaw, which came into force in June, also bans vehicles in this area.

In previous years, KCDC had used a permit system to allow whitebaiters to drive onto the beach and park close to the boundary of the reserve. While many kept to the protocols, others did not, and it became hard to manage and the permit system was abandoned. Previously, when DoC officers had tried to enforce their bylaw there had been threats against their officers.

Last week, the three authorities issued a joint statement pointing out the need to protect the environment and public safety and noting "... driving in the estuary and on adjacent beaches for whitebaiting is prohibited by three separate sets of regulations administered by DoC, GWRC and KCDC".

The statement warned that "all three agencies will again undertake compliance monitoring and enforcement action during the season". The joint statement framed their seasonal action by repeating the science behind their action. Four of the six whitebait species are threatened or at risk of extinction, it says, adding that while fishing pressures are a contributing factor, "habitat loss, environmental degradation, impeded fish passage within river systems, loss of spawning sites and introduced fish species are also impacting whitebait numbers".

Its important to remember that we have a collective responsibility for the dwindling fish numbers and it's too easy to just blame whitebaiters. It's also good that Kāpiti has an organised whitebaiters network that's engaging with the regulatory agencies. The network had even taken council to the Human Rights Commission for obstructing the rights of the elderly and disabled to drive to their fishing sites. They lost that appeal. But I think their criticism of a lack of funding investment in the restoration of the estuary has helped focus funding attention.

While the season has just started it's too early to say if things will go smoothly. There will be random whitebaiters who, despite self-moderation, will break the regulatory protocols. The neighbourhood surrounding the estuary has been alerted to inform on these culprits who spoil it for the others. Local iwi Te Atiawa ki Whakarongotai have reimposed their rahui on the use of scoop nets and have also urged the public to report any other infringements.