'Big brother' muddies park water

By WAYNE THOMPSON

The convener of a west coast conservation group, whose plans have upset fishers from Raglan to Dargaville, blames the crusade of a "big brother" for the controversy.

Ken Catt has led two years' work to push for a marine park along the west coast of Auckland from South Kaipara Head to Port Waikato and into the Manukau Harbour as far as Big Muddy Creek.

The veteran marketing man was nominated for the task by Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey.

Mr Catt says he has "copped a lot of flak" at a series of public meetings to explain how sea and beach life would be better protected under the umbrella of a marine park.

People said a park would threaten the right to fish, which Mr Catt said was "patently ridiculous".

"The only thing we were going to do which would affect fishers was what we thought they wanted ... trying to get commercial fishers pushed out four miles off the coast. You'd have thought they would be saying hooray, hooray - more fish for us."

The proposal also stirred criticism and suspicion from residents of coastal settlements and beach users, including horse riders, dog walkers and four-wheel-drive enthusiasts.

As part of efforts to gauge support for the park idea, a public discussion paper was done by a member of the working group, Jaci Fowler, under the group's direction and funded by the Lottery Grants Board.

A Muriwai community leader, Anna Mason, said the discussion paper contradicted what Ms Fowler and Mr Catt were "selling" to communities at meetings.

While they talked of a marine park, the discussion paper mentioned options of turning nine "hot spots" along the coast into marine reserves because they needed the special protection of a fishing ban.

They included some of the most popular fishing spots on the coast - Papakanui Spit at the South Head of Kaipara Harbour; Muriwai Beach; Piha coast; Destruction Gully at the entrance to the Manukau Harbour; Lawry Pt to Big Muddy Creek, which includes Cornwallis Wharf; and the Port Waikato estuary.

Mrs Mason said suspicions of a covert move to lock up the coast for fishers were fuelled when the Forest and Bird Society magazine came out last month with a campaigning article for the nine mini marine reserves. The author was Ms Fowler.

Mr Catt is a long standing member of Forest and Bird's Waitakere branch.

He said help for the discussion document was sought from Forest and Bird because "we wanted a big brother to get some funding for us and as a Forest and Bird person I thought of it, and a Forest and Bird field officer was appointed to assemble the discussion document on threats to the coast."

Mr Catt said the reserve options were included as additional information and market research.

"We should have made it quite plain that we weren't going to put up a marine mammal sanctuary or marine reserves. But these were the options which people may want at some date in the future."

Mr Catt said the group was trying to heal the wounds and talking sensibly with other groups.

"I think we just got caught up in all the hooha over marine reserves proposed for Tiritiri Matangi and Great Barrier and, of course, the Forest and Bird magazine didn't help the situation at all."

Trish Rea, of recreational fishing lobby group Option4, said the reserves campaign shocked and angered fishers.

It would mean that children could not fish off the Cornwallis Wharf, said Ms Rea.

"Every fisherman in Auckland would have tried there."

Across the Manukau Harbour, Franklin residents are also upset.

Franklin Mayor Heather Maloney said Port Waikato estuary and Manukau Heads were popular spots with amateur fishers.

"Most people are up in arms, because the park concept is okay in itself but everybody is suspicious it will become a reserve and Forest and Bird are talking reserves in the discussion document even though they are standing up in public and saying, 'No, it's only a park'.

"We believe there are enough rules there now - they just need enforcing."

Port Waikato MP Dr Paul Hutchison said it was arrogant of Mayor Harvey and his fellow marine park sponsor David Cunliffe, the New Lynn MP, to push for something that affected people outside their area. Local groups had complained about lack of consultation.

Public submissions on the marine park close at the end of September.