Rules abuse threatens Maori seafood rights

By RUTH BERRY political reporter

The Government may clamp down on customary fishing regulations to stop abuse of the system.

It follows on-going concern that some people are misusing the regulations for, in some cases, significant commercial gain.

New Fisheries Minister David Benson-Pope has called for several reports and plans to discuss options at a Cabinet committee meeting today.

The regulations are designed to ensure Maori communities can continue to take seafood for events such as hui and tangi. They were tightened by the Fisheries Ministry last year, after concerns about abuse.

But Mr Benson-Pope said yesterday that while the system appeared to be working well in most areas there were still problems with people flouting the law, particularly on the East Coast.

The problem appeared to centre around the authority to issue customary permits, he said.

It was "quite an amorphous definition, it's that area that I'm focusing on."

"It would appear that some people are basically self-appointed. I don't think that situation should be able to continue."

Te Tai Tokerau MP Dover Samuels said a number of hapu and whanau in the Far North had raised similar concerns with him and a report from the ministry was called for several weeks ago.

The communities were concerned that abuse of the regulations by some might affect their customary take in the future, he said.

Matters included the failure of some people issuing permits to ensure they were being used for valid purposes and the retrospective issuing of permits to people who had obtained kaimoana to sell on the black market.

Mr Samuels said the system of registering the kaitiaki (guardians) who issued the permits should be made simpler.

But he also pointed to resourcing issues.

Iwi and hapu raised concerns about the customary regulations during last year's foreshore and seabed consultation hui.

The Government said in December that the problems relating to the implementation of the regulations were threefold: "tangata whenua capacity, Crown capacity and problems with the regulations themselves".

It suggested options for improving the system and said the ministry was preparing a bid for funding in the Budget.

The claims of fisheries abuse have been raised for a number of years.

Among the most serious concerns have been the alleged involvement of criminal gangs and poachers using permits to cover up their activities, and gang members learning to dive at taxpayers' expense to further exploit the permits.

Prime Minister Helen Clark said abuse would not be allowed.

"No one should be able to take as much as they like. It has to be properly regulated.

"Customary fishing rules that were put in place under the last government were designed to provide for Maori to be able to have a take for a major event," she said.

"But that at no time should threaten sustainability."