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From: DAVID CLARKSON BAY OF IS
_: 5
Date: 25-08-10
Time: 11:07
Good evening Kathleen and Brian, We are incredibly sorry that our democratically elected Govt saw fit to decline your application for a MR in Akaroa Harbour.
However, good may yet come of such appalling bad, and this declination may create sufficient impetus for all community groups developing MR’s in their areas to come together and really lobby both the Blue Greens and Govt itself on the issue to try and shame them into some action.
As a suggestion, all community groups working on MR’s in their area should put in a submission, either directly to the Blue Green Conference, or send them to you to table at their conference – with copies to appropriate Ministers, along with TV and the press.
Some points that could be raised in these submissions could be - Ask whether we do live in a Democracy. Apart from your Akaroa example, for instance for our own Bay of Islands (BOI) there has been an attempt to create a network of MR’s in the Bay every decade from the 1970’s, to no avail. There is a definite lack of political commitment and agency leadership in this field. Comparable Areas. One notes with interest that in NZ, Terrestrial Reserve Areas = 12% and yet Marine Reserves (mainland territorial waters) = 0.2%. The Convention on Biological Diversity of which NZ is a signatory calls for the establishment of a network of MPA’s that protects 10% – 30% of each habitat by 2012, and the Govt have now suspended the MPA Forum process!!!! Economics. The Goat Is MR brings $18.6 million into the Rodney County each year, including 173 FTE’s (Hunt 2008). The Poor Knights MR return to the area is estimated at approx $9 million/annum (Jongejans). This economic return cannot be ignored. Time Comparisons. The time taken to establish a MR in NZ = 12 – 17 years, yet in NSW the time is 1.5 – 4.5 years (average 3.5 years) (Banks & Skilleter 2010). Faulty Governmental Logic. Rather than seeing MR’s as part of ocean sustainability, the NZ Govt and its agencies have viewed MR’s as impeding the potential for utilization of resources (Banks & Skilleter 2010). “Marine Reserves Found to Boost Nearby Fishing Grounds” by Triveldi in the National Geographic Today Dec 4 2001. <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/12/1204_TVmarinereserves>. This article may be of particular use to you. I have attached a few other documents which you may find of value in your discussions with the Blue Green’s.
I will forward this email to a few others to see what response we can elicit in Northland.
Good luck with your discussions – lots of strength. Regards, David Clarkson.
Last changed: 23-Jul-2011