Greenpeace are at it again!

[chrono_war01]

Almost forgot, gotta agree with Matt.

 

[Phil]

At the risk of a cliche, I had the idea of some sort of online petition could be organised at TONMO to be sent to Owen Symmans. We certainly could gather a great number of signatures.

However, I then realised that he only needs to delete such a petition once. Maybe it would be better for him to receive numerous individual letters to sustain pressure. They would probably have more (if any) impact.

 

[Gaetan P.]

INdeed, the time is urgent....we must make haste. Timing is everything. I agree with Steve! Why Wait...They know the issues, they know the problem..

do you think they are stalling for something? Or is it just paperwork and coffee?

I hate to quote huge industries...but "NIKE" Got it right.....Just DO It!

Gaetan with 2 days left of school.

 

[Phil]

Greenpeace have produced an excellent bottom trawling action toolkit. One needs an acrobat .pdf reader to open it.

This includes contact addresses, suggested courses of action and tips on phrasing letters to newspapers and to Owen Symmans and Helen Clark.

 

[chrono_war01]

I got the toolkit and yes, let's all sign some sort of petition to Owen, ( who needs his eyes checked)

 

[Gaetan P.]

Can Tony launch a page that has an online petition?

G

 

[chrono_war01]

I think there's a website that does that, but people spam a lot there. I would suggest that we start a thread, those that signs it should just respond once and leave their full name or maybe even location.

 

[Colin]

do we know that lady in the pic of the pdf that Phil posted????

Phil, ever hear if anything like this is going on for our area?

 

[Infusoria]

Nah, never seen her before

 

[Tintenfisch]

Aw, crap. Not again...
Seems the time is ripe for contacting people about environmental issues... I fired an email off to the head of the Green Party in NZ today about the Kyoto protocol and the botched calculations of NZ greenhouse gases. Maybe I should write to Helen and Owen next.

 

[Gaetan P.]

Go get em' fisch!!!

 

[chrono_war01]

You go, get'em.


Like my sig?

 

[Steve O'Shea]

I quite like your signature!!

 

[Steve O'Shea]

It's been a busy past few days; rewards will become apparent in another four days. Nevertheless, there has been some good news on the conservation front, down here in NZ.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10331365

MP wants law revamp to avoid marine battlefield
18.06.05

By Anne Beston

The process of deciding on areas of marine conservation needs a major revamp, says Conservation Minister Chris Carter.

A bill now languishing in Parliament gives the Minister of Conservation sole power to decide on marine reserves without having to consult the Ministers of Fisheries and Transport, as happens now.

But that bill needed to be re-written, Mr Carter said, because "every proposal becomes a major battle".

He wants working groups set up to propose marine reserve areas, instead of the Department of Conservation leading the charge.

The groups, three of which have already been established, will comprise DoC staff, iwi, commercial and recreational fishers and conservationists.

"It's more sensible to do the negotiation at the beginning," Mr Carter said.

The latest battleground is the Great Barrier Island marine reserve, approved by the minister this week and opposed by recreational fishers and some commercial companies.

At 49,500ha, it dwarfs others close to the mainland and is the first to stretch to the 12-mile limit, something fishers consider a dangerous precedent.

Forest and Bird spokesman David Pattemore said another problem with the Marine Reserves Act 1971 was that the minister had to justify approval of a reserve by detailing how he had taken account of opposition.

That meant "strong support" for reserves was not taken into account.

But Gulf Harbour charter fisherman Damian Clayton said the Barrier reserve would exclude a favoured spot for kingfish and snapper.

"Why it had to take up nearly 50,000ha, I just don't get it."

 

[Steve O'Shea]

... and more detail. Go Chris Carter!!! Just before an election this is the best thing that you could have done, contrary to some statements in this report!

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10331164

Legal showdown over Hauraki no-fishing zone
17.06.05

By Anne Beston

A legal showdown is looming between recreational fishers and Conservation Minister Chris Carter now a giant no-fishing zone at the gateway to the Hauraki Gulf looks almost certain to go ahead.

Fishers have fought a long and sometimes bitter battle over the Great Barrier marine reserve, the first to stretch from the coast as far as the 12-mile limit and, at 49,500ha, dwarfing others around New Zealand.

They campaigned for more than two years to get the proposal either dumped or substantially downsized.

But the minister has approved virtually the area as proposed in 2003 that saw a series of angry public meetings and a Department of Conservation questionnaire on the reserve ending up as wrapper for a dead possum - widely seen as a threat from reserve opponents because the island has always been free of the pests.

The original boundary is downsized by just 500ha in the final version, so a handful of local families can continue to fish and gather seafood at Whangapoua Inlet.

Recreational Fishing Council president Keith Ingram said that was a "bribe" to local iwi, some of whom opposed the reserve.

Fishers were "very disappointed" by the minister's decision.

"We didn't think he would be so dumb just before an election," Mr Ingram said.

He would not be drawn on what legal action his council might take but the Herald understands a court challenge is almost certain after plans to mount legal action against the Waiheke Island marine reserve, approved in 2003, were shelved to fight this one instead.

Mr Ingram said the Great Barrier reserve would deny game fishermen the right to hunt marlin, kingfish and tuna at a favoured spot. "[The minister] has once again adopted a steamroller tactic," said Mr Ingram.

"This marine reserve will become a haven for poachers and thieves because there simply isn't the means to enforce compliance."

But Mr Carter said islanders would help police it, as would Department of Conservation staff on the island, and said 2200 of the 3513 submissions on the reserve were supportive.

He also cited a Colmar Brunton poll commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund which found 95 per cent of New Zealanders thought the marine environment needed protection. "A lot of people out there think we should be doing more," he said.

Conservation lobby group Forest and Bird yesterday welcomed the decision.

"New Zealand's record in marine protection lags well behind our achievements in creating national parks and reserves on land," said spokesman David Pattemore.