Fishing zone fears unfounded, say iwi

Tauranga iwi have dismissed fears that a proposed marine reserve at Mt Maunganui will become an exclusive Maori fishing zone.

The proposal for the mataitai customary reserve is to be discussed at a public meeting at Mt Maunganui tonight.

Local fishers have voiced fears that the 7.5 sq km reserve around Mauao (the Mount) would allow iwi to exclude them from the area - fears yesterday dismissed by the Tauranga Moana Iwi Customary Fisheries committee as an "unfounded misconception".

Brian Dickson, committee chairman and chief executive of Ngaiterangi iwi, said the proposal's aim was to create sustainable management of fisheries resources in the area.

"At the end of the day, all we are doing is ensuring there is going to be the seafood resources there for the next generation," he said.

He said population pressures on the resources were huge compared with 10 or 20 years ago and shellfish such as paua, kina and mussels were being depleted.

Under a mataitai, tangata whenua can control non-commercial fisheries in a designated area.

They may introduce bylaws restricting or prohibiting the taking of fish if considered necessary to sustainably manage the resource.

The Fisheries Minister must approve the establishment of a mataitai and any bylaws.

The regulations were introduced in the Treaty of Waitangi (Fisheries Claim) Settlement Act 1992, which states that restrictions on non-commercial fishing must apply equally to all people, with one exception.

If a mataitai is closed for general harvesting, the nominated kaitiaki (guardians) may approve the taking of seafood for the marae belonging to the reserve's tangata whenua.

Steve Penn, president of Marine Recreation and Fishers Association Bay of Plenty, said local fishers were alarmed by the prospect of Tauranga Moana iwi exercising this right.

"Any exclusion for the purposes of conservation, we would agree to, but the exclusion must apply to all to be fair," he said.

Tauranga MP Bob Clarkson, who plans to attend the meeting, said he would not tolerate exclusive access for local Maori if a mataitai was established.

"If the average New Zealander, the good bloke New Zealander can't fish, they can't fish," he said.

Mr Dickson acknowledged exclusion as a possibility but said it was "very, very doubtful".

He envisaged restrictions would be limited to shellfish rather than wet fish because shellfish were under threat.

The iwi committee, representing Ngaiterangi, Ngati Ranginui and Ngati Pukenga, applied to the Ministry of Fisheries to establish the mataitai in November.

More than 40 written submissions were received in an initial round of consultation with the local community, the majority objecting to the plan.

After tonight's meeting, a second round of consultation will be held before any decision by Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton.

Six mataitai have been established and the ministry has received applications for another 12, including Mt Maunganui.

Those established range from 0.3 sq km to 77 sq km.

The National Party has criticised the ministry for promoting mataitai, saying the number of applications mushroomed after the Foreshore and Seabed Act was introduced in 2004.