“Kiwis, we’re fairly laidback and we make assumption that, when immigrants come to New Zealand, they won’t crap on the beach, they won’t slaughter all the periwinkles. Well, this is evidence that, as our democracy changes, we’re going to have to be more vigilant.
“The New Zealand public has got to wake up to the fact that unfettered immigration is going to import these problems, because a lot of the migrant communities have a different cultural mindset and, until they abide by the Kiwi ways, we are going to have to both educate and regulate.”
University of Auckland marine biologist Andrew Jeffs previously told RNZ he had witnessed this issue first-hand.
“I’ve been at the beach, and observed groups harvesting the organisms out of rock pools and taking them away by the bucketload.
“I’ve had conversations with people, where I’ve questioned what they are doing on the beach, and they said, ‘Well, they’re only little animals and it doesn’t matter’, but it does matter, because those animals often only live in a few small places in relatively small areas. Once you remove them, it’s very difficult for them to actually come back and re-establish.”
The Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust has requested a two-year fisheries ban across parts of the north Auckland coastline.
Iwi chief executive Nicola MacDonald said that, while harvesting shellfish had long been common practice, as the area’s population had grown, the amount of harvesting had become unsustainable.
Fisheries said suspected illegal activity could be reported through the 0800 4 POACHER number (0800 476 224).
– RNZ
