Doubtless Bay fishing competition successful despite protests from Far North hapū

The annual Doubtless Bay Fishing Classic in Northland ended up being “successful” over the weekend despite protests by local hapū trying to stop the event.

Some members of Far North iwi Ngāti Kahu protested the popular fishing contest, setting up blockades at boat ramps on Friday and Saturday.

Ngāti Kahu representative Wikatana Popata led the blockade to stop the contest from happening in their “tribal territory” with concerns about the number of fish being caught and what he believed was a lack of consultation.

Fishing event organiser Nick Ryan said on Sunday they’d had a successful weekend so far. The event, which has been going for 40 years, regularly draws about 500 contestants and features a charity fish auction at the end of each day.

“Protesters were there yesterday, all the boats were turned around or chose to turn around rather than get into a slanging match and went to alternative ramps.

“It looks like they’ve [protesters] pulled out and moved on, or maybe they’ve made their point.”

Ryan said this year, there were increased participant numbers of about 25 per cent and a bigger turnover of fish had been caught.

The auction raised more than last year, he said, though he didn’t have exact numbers on hand.

“As far as the event is concerned it was great, we’ve had nothing but 100 per cent approval from locals. Taipā marae are right behind us.”

Ryan said going forward, organisers were keen to talk to local marae and iwi, though “it’s difficult to avoid people who are hellbent on their own agendas, flinging accusations around without facts behind them.

“We are happy to have conversations with them.”

Police officers have been monitoring the protests.

While one person was arrested on Friday for obstructing a public way and was later released with a warning, police had not encountered any further issues on Sunday.

Te Rūnanga-a-Iwi o Ngāti Kahu chairwoman Margaret Mutu has said the opposing view of the competition came from an individual and was not an official statement shared by Ngāti Kahu.

But going forward, she said the issue was something Ngāti Kahu would need to discuss.

“I know the hapū who have been impacted by this will be talking about it. My own hapū already have been talking about it.

“We will come together formally, probably the end of February. This is not the sort of thing you rush.

“We will hear formally from the hapū then we’ll decide where to go from there.”

Mutu said there had been “rumblings” about the event for a while now as Ngāti Kahu “is a coastal people.

“We rely heavily on being able to catch fish to feed ourselves.

“We do still rely on the fish. There are times when it’s hard to get fish to feed ourselves.

“That sort of thing has been happening to us for a while now, so it’s been rumbling under the surface.”

Northland MP Grant McCallum condemned the protests of the long-standing event, which funds community services.

“I condemn any illegal actions that impede people going about their lawful business,” McCallum said.

“This has the potential to flare up and create unnecessary tension in the community.”

McCallum thanked the Matakairiri hapū for their statement that they do not support disrupting the competition.

Matakairiri hapū posted on social media that they had met with the event organisers for a karakia blessing by kaumatua Lloyd Popata to “ensure safe passage to all involved in the competition”.

Northland kids and adults came together for a successful Doubtless Bay Fishing Classic despite protests by local iwi.

Ryan said the person who caught the biggest fish yesterday was a local man who caught an 11.8kg snapper off the rocks.

The best thing about the weekend was the kids, he said.

“If you saw the smile on the kids’ faces when they were weighing in their fish, whether it was a sprat or a huge snapper, that was the best thing of the weekend.

“The kids love the fact they’re helping their community, and you can’t put a price on that.”

Jenny Ling is a news reporter and features writer for the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering health, roading, lifestyle, business, and animal welfare issues.