Shane Jones: Oceans and Fisheries Minister on the Hauraki Gulf shellfish harvesting ban getting extended

The Government has approved an extension of some shellfish harvesting bans in parts of the Hauraki Gulf, at the request of three iwi.

Until August 2028,  Umupuia Beach on Auckland's Pohutukawa Coast, is closed to the taking of cockles,  while Te Mātā and Waipatukahu on the Thames coast is closed to the taking of cockles, mussels, oysters, and pipi.

The taking of mussels, pāua, and packhorse rock lobster will be banned on Waiheke Island. 

Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says there's big issues at stake related to this, and bigger challenges impacting the Hauraki area.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Candre Diggins. So we have a ban on harvesting certain
kinds of shellfish in parts of the Horeka Gulf and
it's now been extended until twenty twenty eight. So there
are is restrictions in taking cockles and mussels and power
and pack horse rock, lobster, oysters and pippy and a
few locations around the gulf. Local EWE groups have asked
for the extension in order to allow shellfish populations to recover.

(00:23):
So the man in charge of the oceans and the
fisheries is the Minister and the Minister of Shane Jones
who joins me now hallo Shane Hey Gridding's folks. So
these shellfish populations are a pretty bad mick if they
needed another two more years to recover, is that fair
to say?

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Yeah. Dotted around the coastline are sites where there's excessive extraction,
too many people arriving harvesting not only that type of shellfish,
but there's the ongoing challenges with an intertidal zone as well.
And look, it's worked reasonably well and the EWE made
an application which I had no compunction in rolling over

(01:01):
to offer further protection.

Speaker 1 (01:04):
Okay, so will the two years work and at the
end of that two years, could the ban be lifted
because there's a whole lot of people missing their kimawana.

Speaker 2 (01:14):
Yeah, fair enough. Fortunately I'm from further north. But oh look,
well there's a bigger issue at stake here in relation
to the Hodaky golf. I mean, we just had the
scientific report which shows that an inordinate amount of the
snapper caught by the recreational fishing community dies when they
throw it back in the water. We've got the ongoing

(01:35):
challenges around the beaches in Auckland where the migrant communities
seem to spend too much time taking too much of
the sea life out of the rock pools. So this
small gesture, which is positive, sadly, is only a modest

(01:58):
contribution to ackling the bigger challenges in the Hodaki area.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
Yeah exactly, And no debate about the fact migrant populations
like to get stuck in, but also Maori like to
get stuck in as well. Everybody likes to get stuck
in and take too much.

Speaker 2 (02:14):
Oh look, I'm not being particularly negative about the migrant communities.
They've come here. Over time, they'll learn the rules and regulations.
We always have recidivists even amongst my own people, the
tongue of defendua this case, however, the three year we
are conscious that some of the offending takes place from

(02:37):
their own people and elements of the public broader than
the tongue of defendre. So there's nothing wrong in my
view about the Crown working with these three applicants and
offering some additional protection.

Speaker 1 (02:51):
Are you getting worried about being guillotine Shane?

Speaker 2 (02:55):
Yes, I did see that cartoonish like the livery from
the Union movement or some of these outspoken, very rude,
slightly unhinged migrant activists. They need to treat my leader
with a lot more respect or they will suffer the
wrawth after the next election.

Speaker 1 (03:17):
Oh really, that sounds like a threat. What are you
going to do? Throw them out?

Speaker 2 (03:22):
Not? The reality is that we are going to campaign
on ensuring that not only do the migrant communities observe
the way of life and the Lord of New Zealand,
but we're going to curtail and curb the number of
migrants coming to New Zealand because far too many of
them represent people who need us, not people that we need.

(03:44):
As kiwis, that's.

Speaker 1 (03:45):
Right, and they take too much shelfash, So let's get
back to that. You put gathering bands in place of
the Para Peninsula, co Obey and Omaha Bay earlier this year.
Is that working.

Speaker 2 (03:56):
Yeah. The difficulty made is that we're unable at this
stage to offer infringement notices and that relates to the
fact that I couldn't get the Fisheries Bill over the line.
The legacy recreational activists opposed the passage of the bill
and my two fellow parties National and Act felt that

(04:17):
it should be left at the Select Committee for some
more work and we'll pick it up after the next election.
But because the recreational activists oppose the passage of the bill,
we don't have the ability to in state and implement
infringement notice responses to recidivist excessive extraction of Kaimwana around Auckland.

Speaker 1 (04:41):
Shane, I thank you for your time today. Shane is
the Oceans and Fisheries Minister and this is News Talks HEB.

Speaker 2 (04:47):
For more from Heather Duplassy Allen Drive. Listen live to
News talks 'B from four pm weekdays, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio.