Marine – The Bill is not dead … yet!

When Kiwis care deeply about something, we make ourselves heard. More than 30,000 Kiwis spoke up and made a submission in May opposing the Fisheries Amendment Bill.

‘Corrupt’, ‘rotten’ and ‘shocking’ were just some of the words that were used to describe the Bill, and not without reason. Many Kiwis are worried it will leave everyday people with less access to our fish – a public resource. And they’re right.

One keen fisher from the Hauraki Gulf put it simply in his submission, “We should be protecting this resource for families and communities, not making it harder to put food on the table. Our fisheries should serve the people, not just the industry.” We agree.

Submissions on the Bill closed on May 6. The Primary Production Select Committee is now reviewing tens of thousands of submissions and is due to report back to Parliament by August 6 with any recommendations or changes to the Bill.

LegaSea, alongside the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council, NZ Angling & Casting and NZ Underwater, sent a comprehensive submission rejecting the Amendment Bill outright. We left no page unturned, exposing its deep flaws and standing up for what’s best for our fisheries and the interests of all New Zealanders.

If there’s one upside to come from this deeply flawed legislation, it’s the unity it has sparked. Kiwis from across the country have come together to stand up for our fish and our future generations.

That pressure is being felt by the coalition government, whose leniency to let New Zealand First’s Shane Jones push through with this offensive proposal, is now backfiring. Since the Bill’s release, the Prime Minister has stated publicly he will remove the amendment to abolish commercial size limits for some species. But other amendments that are just as egregious, if not worse, still remain in the Bill.

The process itself has also raised concerns. Giving the public only 16 working days to make a submission is not good enough. Only after heavy criticism did the Select Committee extend the submission deadline by a week.

Across the political spectrum, serious doubts are beginning to surface. More politicians are questioning whether the Amendment Bill is good for New Zealand. It does not put New Zealand first. It puts private profits from seafood exports ahead of the long-term health of our marine environment and feeding Kiwis.

The next test will come at the second reading of the Bill later this year. We are relying on the majority of politicians to listen to the people and reject the Bill. National has made a public promise that it will not support the Bill at its second reading unless it undergoes “real, meaningful change”. Labour has made a similar commitment.

The most significant steps National and Labour can take is to firstly listen to the people; secondly, ensure the Select Committee report recommends that the Bill is dropped; and thirdly, reject the Fisheries Amendment Bill during the second reading.

Public pressure is working but the job isn’t done. We need to keep the pressure on. A simple email to your local MP is worthwhile because if we don’t fight for our fish, no one else will.