September 2018 issue of the Fishing and Outdoors newspaper

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September 2018

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FISH TODAY FOR TOMORROW Distributed New Zealand wide - PO Box 10580, Te Rapa, Hamilton 3240 - Phone 021 02600437- Email mail@fishingoutdoors.co.nz

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Coromandel Winter Gold One of the most difficult issues for any charter skipper is putting the boat on top of a lot of fish and having the fish bite especially through the winter months where August is renowned for being the most difficult month in the gulf.

It’s not easy and if the fish don’t want to bite but guess who gets the blame.

Russell Chesnutt the skipper of the Nadgee Fishing Charters doesn’t seem to be overly bothered as he managed to put our trip right on top of a bunch of fish that were dead keen to get hooked up.

We had the pleasure and entertainment of having ‘Kura’ from Papa-

SEE INSIDE Page 5 -

Exclusive Access Loophole to be Closed?

Page 9 - Pumping Prison Poo into the Puniu River Page 11- Hidden Agenda” of 1080 Page 12- The Green Parties broken promises Page 13- DoC still killing Stewart Island Kiwi

F Lo OR W ok S C ho W H in AL B G O e re M ar Lo uy g f E A a P e ve er o sk t r S S s a in Ho to el Fi g m ck lin sh Pr e g i ic B & C th ng e as h e $2 ed a 5, B tte 00 u ls 0 sin + e G ss ST

Page 16 - Freshwater Fisheries Bill a Travesty

kura on board with us. This lady is a legend and slayed the fish all day.

Mastering the task of catching good sized snapper seemed very easy for her and when the fishing seemed to slow down a bit she stepped up and showed the fish that she was in control.

Any fishing trip gets the blood flowing and as we gathered at the jetty on Hanniford’s wharf around 7.15 am, introductions were made and the chilly bins and rods were dispersed around the rod holders on the gunnels.

Russel gave his briefing detailed roughly what he had planned for us.

The weatherman said the day was showers in the morning clearing in the afternoon, which was wrong as usual as they never seem to take into account the fact that Coromandel has its own micro-climate and pretty much turns on a good day just for the heck of it.

We had a flat sea with no wind and a bright sun seaming down on us. Picture book fishing.

As we started steaming down the gulf Lorrie the skipper’s right hand lady, crew member, cook, and tea lady got to making everyone welcome and handed out coffees to all.

Some lovely biscuits were produced and shared and the hours cruise down the gulf disappeared as quickly as the biscuits.

Russel had a few tricks up his sleeve and said that over the many years he had been fishing as a commercial seiner and then charter operator he had observed that the fish gather at certain spots through winter months which meant that he could choose where he thought the fish would be with almost certainty and again he was bang on.

As usual Kura caught the first good sized snapper and then others quickly followed.

Kura’s secret was to try several

‘Kura’ with one of her many snapper

A line up of fishers

types of baits so she could work out what the fish were taking. She used a 8oz sinker underneath a swivel and placed about a metre of trace to two hooks tied truck and trailer.

For her this worked a treat as she cast out behind the boat to wait for the fish to bite. She was a pleasure to watch and learn from.

We had a couple of enthusiastic ‘over 80’ fishers who didn’t muck around.

They were out for a day’s adventure like the rest of us. Clearly they had enjoyed many trips before and showed that they knew what they were doing as they filled their bin in quick time.

Some fishers were using ledger rigs with one hook just above the sinker on which they ties fresh and frozen mussels. The snapper loved these and some nice fish were caught.

Others were using the fancy three hook flasher rigs which didn’t seem to work that well and the third higher hook was the one the kahawai went for as it was off the bottom.

Squid bait and pilchards all worked well and those that tried kahawai and

mullet weren’t disappointed either.

Every now and again someone would hook up on a kahawai, which was rather pleasant knowing that the kahawai were on the rebound having been decimated to near extinction a few years previous by the greedy commercial sector who denied they were at fault. They still wasted tones of good fish though turning them into fish food or fertiliser, throwing any unwanted catch over the side.

By lunchtime we were starting to feel a bit puckish and although Lorrie kept the coffees coming we were looking forward to dispersing the sausages and bacon that the ‘cook’ was barbequing for us.

We had a great lunch then changed location and pretty much completed filling the last few chilly bins scattered around the deck. Russel was busy topping up the bins with salt flake ice to ensure that nine hours out in the sun did not affect the quality of the fish even though they were in the chilly bins.

Around 3.30 Russel announced that

The Nadgee wheelhouse

we were heading back in to Te Kouma and from the smiles and laughter everyone seemed to have had a great day.

The ‘Nadgee’ is a 13 m Australian hardwood trawler which has been converted to a Charter Fishing Vessel. The name comes from the Aboriginal meaning of ‘Gateway.’

With space for up to 15 passengers and 6 passenger berths for overnight trips, by prior arrangement, the Nadgee Charter Fishing is based

around the Scenic Coromandel Islands, Mussel Farms, and Hauraki Gulf.

To fully hire the boat the cost is $1000 per day which is about the best price going in today’s market.

Contact Skipper Russell Chesnutt, Nadgee Fishing Charters on Phone 07 866 8172; Mob: 022 300 2201 or email chesnutt1957@slingshot.co.nz Website: www.coromandelcharterfishing.co.nz

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BRAG PAGE

Gary Johansen with the Thames Valley Deerstalkers, Jim Davies Cup for the Heaviest Boar, 57kgs (125.4lb)

Send your photos into mail@fishingoutdoors.co.nz Thomas Joe with his kingfish caught on the Nadgee Fishing Charters recently

Waitara Fishing Club

Travis Pocock with his well-deserved Kaimanawa Sika Stag

Shelley with her Biggest Snapper to date 6.14kg, bigger enough to take out the ladies trophy for the year.

Ashton Oakes (a.k.a Gun Dog) a new Junior Club record 5.84kg Snapper

Fishing and Outdoors PO Box 10580, Te Rapa, Hamilton 3240 Ph 021 02600437 Editor Graham Carter mail@fishingoutdoors.co.nz 021 02600437 Graphics: Astro Creative Photography: Sandi Tuan Regular Writers: Graham Carter James Speedy Ben Hope Frank Henry Dick Featherstone Tony Orman Rhys Smith John McNab Rex Gibson Fishing and Outdoors is published

by Ashwood Grove Ltd. All editorial copy and photographs are subject to copyright and may not be reproduced without prior written permission of the publisher. Opinions or comments expressed within this publication are not necessarily those of the contributors, editor, staff and management or directors of Ashwood Grove Ltd. ISSN 1179-5034 Unsolicitored editorial, letters, photographs will only be returned if you include a stamped, self addressed envelope. www.fishingoutdoors.org Visit us on Facebook www.facebook.com/Fishingoutdoors Copyright © 2011 Fishing Outdoors Newspaper, All Rights Reserved.

Luke Boakes with his younger brother (Jarni) 9 years old and his 15kg kingy taken on his Shimano 12000 baitrunner combo running 10 kg line and a lively on a ledger rig.

He was thrilled to bits. Absolutely stuffed after the long haul in the poor wee bugger.

He only weighs a tad over 20kg himself.

But it was a beautiful day down the Hauraki just a couple of miles North of Tiri.

Rotorua Angling Cub in action .A very good turnout , a fantastic sunny day — at Eastern Region Fish and Game Hatchery Rotorua.

Logan Ware Hayden Ware

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Salty Towers is a Coromandel icon passionate about bait and berley that has been successfully supplying Coromandel far and wide for the last 12 years. Awesome location on Tiki Road (SH25) the Coromandel fishing highway, Salty Towers has huge exposure from the high daily traffic flow that passes by en route to Coromandel Town or all places North, East, West or South, like Whangapoua, Matarangi ,Kuaotunu, or Whitianga, where fisherman find Salty Towers a popular stock up on supplies stop.

Whether you’re towing a tinny or launch there is plenty of room, easy parking and turn

around on this 1.1 hectare site.

Salty Towers have numerous contracts in place with local mussel farmers and specialize in making their own special mussel berley which is very popular with the “fish” and anglers throughout New Zealand, they also offer wholesale prices to bait suppliers and charter boat operators.

This is a one stop shop, with its own salt flake ice processing plant, huge range of bait, berley and fishing supplies that doesn’t let any angler get away. Other premium services are offered onsite, such as the very popular fish filleting drop off and pick up service, with

the added option of also having your fish smoked on request.

The next owner of this business also has the option of subdividing or to develop this site further if they so desire, being in a prime position the ideas for the future are endless.

The present father and son owners have created a fabulous Eco award winning business with ongoing growth, potential and return, but they have instructed us to sell and opportunity knocks.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us today for an appointment to view this very profitable business.

All fish should be caught by hook and line The recreational fishing industry in NZ is far more valuable to small seaside towns that the few measly trawlers that are left around our coast. The recreational catch of fish is less than commercial fishers in every region and the recreational fisher’s line caught fishing method doesn’t tend to kill anything else, like Dolphins and Sea lions.

Yet this government doesn’t seem to get how much benefit a small seaside town would get from a sheltered all tide boat ramp facility. There is no good reason that the government could not look at the west coast for breakwater development for all tide small boat access to the fishery. Kiwis are killed every year crossing some of our west coast bar’s to get to the abundant fishery on the west coast.

The past government has spent millions of tax paid money on commercial fishing industry partnerships but nothing on recreational fishing. This government looks like they are going down the same track by throwing millions of dollars at these partnerships who tend to benefit people who are already on the rich list.

The commercial fishing industry just doesn’t employ the people

that it did any more. The fish are sent whole to China for processing or packed and put on a flight overseas. The filleting sheds with 100’s of people or more have gone and the sheds are empty. The commercial fishing industry had been a financial failure for NZ because they have been destructive and wasteful to the fish stocks all while reducing their employment of kiwis by more than two thirds.

I’m starting to think that this government or any other doesn’t like recreational fishers because they don’t export the fish they catch. Jacinda Ardern needs to go to a popular boat ramp on a long weekend and see the business and employment that is created when hundreds of recreational fishers are hungry, thirsty and looking for fuel or bait.

You could call it regional development and it would also be a good way to spread out the recreational fishing pressure from the east coast. A sheltered west coast breakwater could also come under safety as it would give boats stuck on the west coast a safe harbour in heavy weather.

In his term as prime minister, John Key invested more than $500 m plus into the commercial fishing indus-

try and asked them to double the value of their exports by 2020. John Key expressed his disappointment in the industry at their conference because not only did they fail miserably to increase their export value but they dumped fish all over the beaches making the public angry, killed most of the Maui Dolphin, that made Greenpeace international angry and employed fewer people.

John Key should have turned his back on the appalling practices of the commercial fishers but he didn’t and they repaid him for his support of the industry by stopping the Kermadec Reserve when he promised the world we would stop fishing there. Instead, he should have put his faith in an industry that does have moral fibre and that was the tourist industry.

It’s time for a government to use our inshore fishery to its best potential and stop supporting the criminal activity that is the commercial fishing industry. The days of catching our inshore fish by the ton is over, all fish in the inshore fishery should be caught by hook and line. The recreational fishery and line fishing charter boats is the future of our inshore fishery, so now help us access it. If you build it, they will come

Have your say on pāua and crayfish rule changes

Fisheries New Zealand is consulting on rule changes for recreational fishers to support wider measures to make sure that fishing for crayfish and pāua in the upper South Island is sustainable.

Proposed changes include a reduction in the number of pāua recreational fishers can catch and the number of daily bag limits fishers can store in Canterbury/Kaikōura (PAU3) and the top of the South

Island (PAU7), as well as measures such as looking at the introduction of rock lobster telson clipping in Canterbury/Marlborough (CRA5) to help reduce illegal sale of crayfish.

Manager of inshore fisheries Steve Halley says the measures proposed are key to ensuring sustainable use of these important shared fisheries.

“Commercial pāua catch limits in PAU3 and PAU7 were substantially reduced in 2017, and we are now pro-

posing a reduction in recreational fishing catch as well,” says Mr Halley.

“Lowering the number of pāua recreational fishers can take each day will help the fisheries remain sustainable, and complements measures to help populations impacted by the 2016 Kaikōura earthquakes, recover.

“It will ease fishing pressure on localised pāua populations outside the earthquake-affected area, which is currently closed for most shellfish, as well as seaweed, gathering.

“In terms of the changes to crayfish rules in CRA5, the National Rock Lobster Management Group is proposing to introduce telson clipping, an accumulation limit, and bag and labelling conditions for crayfish caught in this area by recreational fishers.

The cumulative catch for commercial fishers should also be reduced nationwide, as many take their six a day which can be used as currency. There is no need for these guys to take the amount they do.

The poachers should be given a quota which will allow them to supply quality crayfish for local trade rather than the pathetic creatures which comm currently supply.

Global Warming Awesome Global warming could be a massive benefit to NZ and the Pacific oceanic ecosystem. The warmer water is attracting more of the warm water tropical fish our way. Poten-

tially, this means more species of fish will be protected from overfishing simply by swimming into our regulated 200 NM economic zone.

However, as it stands it is very unlikely

that the NZ government or the commercial fishers of NZ will give any new species of fish any hope of a happy life in our waters. The archaic attitude of MPI and the NZ commercial fishers

means any new species will be killed and exported regardless of how endangered it is elsewhere in the Pacific.

Tuna is a good example of the thoughtless killing for profit that NZ commercial fishers celebrate every year. The commercial fishers watch the temperature charts and monitor the progress of the doomed Tuna as they run the gauntlet of commercial fisher both legal and illegal when they migrate down to NZ waters to feed on our summer baitfish. The commercial fishers then have a” kill as many as we can before they are gone” attitude toward the fish. What Tuna are left have to run the gauntlet of commercial fishers again as the water gets colder forcing them back north again.

The NZ commercial fishers know full well that all over the world Tuna stocks are in serious decline and many will be extinct by 2050. At one point MPI was written to by the leading world authority for the conservation of Tuna and asked them not to put up the quota of Blue Fin Tuna, MPI refused and put the Quota up anyway.

As the water warms and more fish species follow the warm water to NZ we could benefit both NZ and the Pacific fishery but we won’t. Instead, NZ commercial fishers will play a big part in the overexploitation and extinction of many more types of warm water fish.

The commercial fishers will be supported in the fishery genocide by taxpayer-funded agencies and corporate

The price of fish Shane Jones conned the NZ taxpayer out of $3b over three years for regional development. Jones plan is, in reality, to try and suck people into voting for the failing NZF Party who are only polling at 2%.

This was a rollover by the Labour Party who gave into Jones so it could take advantage of the Jarcinder effect and the party could come from a long way behind to eventually govern.

What’s this got to do with the price of fish, everything?

Jones, who is openly a corporate fishing supporter, campaigned against the sustainable measures proposed for our fishing industry while running for the seat of Whangarei. Jones opposed cameras on commercial vessels and the Kermadec reserve. It is also believed that although Jones did not get the Fishery ministers job he wanted plus he is making life difficult for Stuart Nash who is the Fisheries minister.

What is of grave concern is that Jones will buy votes any way he can without any forethought or conscience and may cause damage to the NZ

people and the natural environment that supports our wild fishery.

The people who live in Tolaga Bay and the Marlborough Sounds can show you that planting pine trees near waterways that lead to the ocean; have a disastrous effect on the surrounding marine environment.

The pine needles rot and cause a sticky sediment that covers natural sand and smothers shellfish. That shellfish and the crabs that live in the same area is what the fish eat.

The shallow water harbours of Northland could be void of life very quickly after the first pruning of the pine trees. The logs tend to wash up after heavy weather events that cause silting, blocking of access to beaches and are a safety hazard to boats.

When the pines cause this problem the cost of cleanup will be so huge and expensive that it will be left to mother nature.

This could cause a total loss of places like the Hokianga harbour for forty years or more.

Shane Jones vision only extends to the

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loyal politicians. Worldwide corporatefunded politicians have a nasty habit or of supporting export fisheries until the last fish has been caught and all the commercial boats are tied up in port.

The sad thing is that all these mistakes that are happening in our fishery and in our future fishery have been made by other countries. If you google “fishery collapse” get out your tissue box and get ready a cry. You can see the future of NZ fishery in any one of the examples because we are making the same mistakes as all the other countries whose fishery collapsed.

So when the Pacific fishery comes here when the water warms, we will collapse that as well, arn’t we clever. next election. The destruction of our marine environment caused by pine trees is happening now, a real-time environmental emergency with still more pine trees being cut close to our coast.

It is unlikely that Jones has time to find a viable timber tree like Redwood and have it assessed as a better option for coastal planting before the next election.

Shane Jones planting of pines up in Northland where waterways are close to the ocean is no more than selfish environmental treason.

The Northland people won’t realise that the pines and some employment have cost them their shallow water marine environment until they go to the beach to gather seafood and there is only slime and rotting pine needles between their toes, miles of dead cockle shells and no flounder or snapper for their table.

Shane Jones is not Santa Claus, there are strings attached to everything he does and he needs to be stopped so that some intelligent people can tell him what to do before it’s too late.

If Jones is allowed to continue, the $3b vote buying campaign for NZF could cost $10b to clean up in ten years’ time.

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Commercial fishermen oppose Fish Bill

Release migrant females

Commercial freshwater fishermen are upset that the Conservation (Indigenous Freshwater Fisheries) Amendment Bill has been railroaded into Parliament without any consultation. Bill Chisholm, spokesperson for the commercial eel industry said that commercial eel, flounder and mullet fishermen were opposed to the Bill, and had deep concerns about how iwi exemptions would work. “There are one or two parts of the Bill which we accept, such as improved definitions and strengthening provisions for pest fish management. Everything else is

pure tommy-rot,” Mr Chisholm said.

The Bill significantly increases DoC’s powers to close freshwater areas to commercial and recreational fishing, manage lands adjacent spawning areas, impose fishing gear restrictions, manage intake structures and flood control works and require authorisations to fish in Conservation Areas. The Bill also proposes to give precedence to native fish plans over sports fish plans, and will massively increase overlap with the Fisheries Act, Resource Management Act and other legislation.

This was noted by the Treasury au-

dit of the Regulatory Impact Statement which accompanied the Bill.

Commercial fishermen have always had concerns about DoC’s overlap with the Fisheries Act 1996, for freshwater species such as eels, flounder and mullet. “We don’t need any duplication of bureaucracy”, Mr Chisholm said. “The Bill was supposed to overcome the problem of overlapping regulations, but it makes things worse and the Regulatory Impact Statement clearly states that it has not addressed this fundamental problem. Some judicious consultation might have sorted this out, but clearly DoC is not interested in what we have to say. We have written to DoC before on their freshwater reforms, but they do not usually reply.”

Of particular concern was the exemption from all parts of the Bill to iwi, on the basis that Treaty Settlement rights should not be affected. “If this Bill was so good, as DoC claims, why would iwi want to be exempt?” Mr Chisholm said.

“The bottom line is that this Bill is bad for everyone in the freshwater sphere. It is essentially an empirebuilding exercise for DoC to create another layer of bureaucracy over most freshwater activities. It needs to be completely re-drafted in full consultation with all water users.”

Time to measure the Nation’s well-being A national outdoor recreation forum wants New Zealand to ditch the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a measurement of New Zealand’s progress and replace it with Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI). Andi Cockroft, chairman of the Council of Outdoor Recreation Associations of New Zealand (CORANZ) said his organisation had been advocating the change in emphasis over the

last three elections in a charter presented to political parties and MPs. “It’s obvious by pressures on not only infrastructure but the quality of life of people, that change to a better balanced criteria is not only desirable but becoming urgent,” he said. “The quest for growth and more growth is short-sighted.”

CORANZ’s comments were in response to news that Indicators

Aotearoa New Zealand is being developed by Stats NZ as a source of measures for New Zealand’s well-being. The set of indicators will go beyond economic measures, such as gross domestic product (GDP), to include well-being and sustainable development.

The well-being indicators will build on international best practice and will be tailored to New

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Zealanders by incorporating cultural and Te Ao Māori perspectives.

However CORANZ says it seemed the focus was too narrow and focused only on Maori perspectives.

“We are one nation, a mix of European, Maori, Asian and other ancestries. CORANZ is talking about all New Zealanders,” he said.

CORANZ’s election charter said “The index for national prosperity, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) based solely on economic indi-

cators, should be replaced by a Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI_ based on three values - social, environmental and economic, to thus fully measure the quality of life.”

Andi Cockroft said one of the paradoxes of American society was that while our economic standard of living and technology had increased, the country’s environmental standard had declined.

“Once New Zealanders were landconscious, outdoor people with

physical and mental health and largely satisfaction and contentment. Ironically today we are better housed, better nourished and better entertained but were less prepared to inherit the land or to carry on the pursuit of happiness.

Technological developments are amazing and even bewildering, but at the same time we are falling prey to the weakness of an indoor nation and the flabbiness of a sedentary society,” he said.

The Rule Makers The NZ crown has governorship over the NZ wild fishery. That means that if you want to go fishing for wild fish in the public domain of our EEZ you will need to abide by rules set by a politician.

So that a politician can’t run amuck with the fishery the crown is bound to govern under the Fisheries Act 1996. The same can be said for a judge who is also bound by the same rules when sentencing a person for fishery offences.

However, the politicians make and can change all of the rules that cover compliance and sentencing.

In the case of the Hawkes Bay Seafood Company and its deliberate offending on a massive scale, MPI has been bound by the rules and the cost of 2 m tax payers dollars and counting has been shocking.

There is also the fact that some of the vessels forfeit to the crown have still been fishing the overfished resource in the Hawkes Bay. There needs to be some serious changes to the rules to make prosecution of fishery’s offences more cost-effective and force the judiciary to impose penalties that more reflect the crime.

The four fishing vessels should have been dry docked and the company doors should have been shut to prevent any further damage to the fishery. But for employ-

In every case in the world’s fishery when politicians put the jobs and export value of a fishery before sustainability the fishery has failed. ing Maori trainees was probably We have examples of this in our what stopped it, but the vessels own short fishing history when orshould have been given to the Iwi. ange roughy was overfished leaving So we need to look at the politi- fishing crews without a job. The new cal situation to see why politicians fisheries minister Stuart Nash now have given the commercial fish- has to be focused on the fishery ers so many escape clauses in the stocks only, because for the last nine Fisheries Act when at the same years the National Party has only time a recreational fisher catch- been focused on the financial exing too many paua is sent to jail. port return of the fishery, and the We need to ask three questions of damage done to our inshore fishthis government as to why changes ery could take ten years to undo. have not accrued. It is suspected There is no doubt that the Lathat the changes didn’t happen bour Party don’t have the balls because this government either, to stand up to NZFirst. NZFirst is doesn’t want to hamper the export so closely aligned with the corindustry, doesn’t have the balls to porate commercial fishing fraterstand up to its coalition partners or nity that you could say that everyis more concerned over jobs than thing they do in this term will be the sustainability of the fishery. at the cost of the NZ wild fishery.

When the scale of offending by While Shane Jones is gifting trees to Hawkes Bay Seafood’s was estab- Northland Maori they may not relished David Turner was director alise that while they are in the hills of fisheries management and Na- planting trees, the commercial fishthan Guy was the minister of MPI. ers are exporting all their kai moana.

The Hawkes Bay fishery should Will the Northland Maori realise have been closed under the emer- in time that by supporting Jones gency measures clause in the they have effectively traded pine Fisheries Act at least for three trees for fish. If the Northland elmonths while MPI sourced infor- ders are clever (and they are) they mation on the status of the fishery. will take Jones pine tree money, MPI chose to do nothing to sup- treat it as a disrespectful bribe and port the overfished fishery be- vote NZFirst out the door in the cause they were as always in sup- next election, that way they get to port of the export industry while keep the pine trees and the fish. they, at all cost tried to double the value of the fishery exported.

Politics

How much are Politicians Worth?

by Rupert Pye

It was interesting to see PM Jacinda Adern put a ’freeze’ on politicians getting a pay rise. Indeed why not? Do they deserve a pay rise?

A back bencher gets $168,000 salary. That is very good money. Add to the $168,000 various perks in travelling, accommodation and others and its very, very good pay.

Perhaps it is time for a performance assessment on politicians?

An aspect which intrigues me is the shallowness of politicians. When in opposition they cry “foul” of government moves but when some years later they are elected into government they rarely repeal the laws that they were so critical about when on the opposition benches.

There is the curious case of the National-led government’s Environment Minister Nick Smith. When Minister for the Environment he championed mega 1080 drops on public lands to annihilate the hordes of prodders that were in numbers of “biblical proportions.” Where he got the biblical concern from is anyone’s guess. A friend, who knows the Bi-

ble backwards, told me nowhere does the revered book refer to rats.

But Nicolas Rex Smith bellowed in evangelical style, often shrill and strident in manner, that 1080 was the answer to the predator threat he imagined. He railed against those who dared to say New Zealand’s rivers were contaminated with nitrates and were being denuded of flow.

However since the election Smith has been silent.

There are other politicians who one never hears of until their name surfaces for one reason or another.

The culture surrounding politicians is wrong and we the plebiscite are partly to blame. We should hold them o account more. Remind they when they snarl back, that politicians whether in parliament or on regional and district councils, are elected by the people to serve the public interest.

It is incorrect to call the prime minister the country’s “leader”. John Key for example was just the most senior public servant in the land. The mayor of a regional council is the region’s most senior public servant.

Snapper Bill Howdy Folks, Spring is just around the corner most of our spring flowers are blooming at the moment and lot’ of lambs are about.

I will be heading to Coromandel in September to catch up with my mate Hank and Jeremy.

The word is that the snapper are rowing up nicely and with the weather and water still relatively warm, Tom on Coro Fishing Charters

says they are still filling bins every trip when in previous years the winter fishing has been very slow.

And I can’t wait to have a few feeds of scallops with the season in full swing.

Can’t wait to get out fishing again, I’m rearing to go in my words ‘Back to Paradise’.

Don’t forget to pick up your ice and bait at Salty Towers and if you want your fish filleted it’s the place to go.

Relative to the MP pay freeze is the misconception about politicians that “if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.” We are paying politicians very good money in and especially with MPs, lucrative perks. As one writer on the subject said “Yet too often the public’s reward for paying chocolate coated peanuts in glossy wrappings is not monkeys but political gorillas wearing an air of arrogance and disdain for the opinion of the public who they are meant to represent.”

Excuse my cynicism but we the people pay politicians handsomely.

If politicians are paid handsomely most will be the greedy, seeing very good money, rather than those wanting to give service to the public. We need politicians who understand their role as public servants.

But today too many politicians lack an awareness of the fundamental role of an elected representative. The role is to represent the wishes of the majority of the community. Whether they like it or not, prime ministers, cabinet ministers, back benchers and local councillors are undeniably, public servants.

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MPI and this govt are wrong NZ Cray and Paua are a delicacy that most New Zealanders will never taste in their lifetime.

The local trade supply of both of these of these wild-caught seafood products is now at critically low levels. If you can find some to purchase, the cost is prohibitive.

That means if you want to eat Paua or Cray in NZ the only option is to catch it yourself. The commercial fishers and MPI are doing their best to slowly erode your rights and daily catch limits in an effort to supply the export market first.

The commercial fishers have turned their back on the supply of fresh seafood to the local population and they openly criticise the recreational and customary fisher for supplying themselves.

Also because of the constant whinging and moaning from the commercial fishing industry, now MPI want to change the bag limits and

make recreational fishers clip the tails on the cray in an effort to stop the black market on Paua and Cray.

The bad news for the Minister of Fisheries and MPI is that the only people who like commercial fishing exporters are commercial fishing exporters. The black market fishers are well supported by the public because they supply Cray/Paua fresh at $20 kg.

The commercial fishing exporters have treated the NZ seafood consumer with such disrespect that black market fishers now resemble the likeable thief Robin Hood who stole from the rich to give to the poor.

The recreational fishers and the public, in general, have had a guts full of seeing truckloads of our inshore fish and shellfish being exported. The public is also sick of the stupidity of the govt and MPI bloody-minded support of the approx 0.025 % of our population that

catch 96% of all our wild seafood.

It would seem that this govt couldn’t care less about the other approx 4.8m people of this country or the fact that we now have to import huge amounts of poor quality prefrozen seafood for our local supply.

This govt, like those before it will spare no expense doing everything it can to prevent the NZ people supplying themselves seafood from the inshore fishery.

MPI will never stop the black market fishers of NZ because they have public support and the commercial fishers don’t.

It didn’t take Robin Hood long to gather a large group of merry men to support his cause of feeding the hungry and showing respect to the underprivileged.

MPI and this govt are wrong, kiwis come first. Give the black marketer’s a quota for local supply. An easy fix.

Inside MPI’s $2.5m fishing investigation

By Michael Morrah

It’s the longest running district court case ever, costing millions of dollars in court time and Government investigative resources.

The dispute between Hawke’s Bay Seafood and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) related to fish that had been caught but not reported and then sold at fish markets in Australia.

The D’Espositos’ lawyer says the case has been a waste of money, but MPI says it was important to hold Hawke’s Bay Seafood to account.

“I think this investigation was necessary and it’s something we owe the public of New Zealand to investigate this and uncover the sustained underreporting of this fish species. This was by New Zealanders against New Zealanders,” says Steve Ham, MPI investigations manager.

The species misreported was bluenose, a valuable mid-water species already under significant pressure from fishing.

MPI found that the weight of bluenose recorded in documents was different to the actual amount being sent to be sold in Australia. In total, 27 tonnes of bluenose was unaccounted for - fish that was then sold in Australia for more than $253,000.

In total, there were 20 separate occasions where illegal exports were identified. .

During the seven-month trial, a deal was struck that saw twothirds of the initial 380 charges dropped. In the end, company director Nino D’Esposito, his brother Jo and son Marcus pleaded guilty to a total of 130 charges.

“My clients are normal business people in a normal business environment,” says the D’Espositos’ defence lawyer, Mike Sullivan.

“They are not black market poachers.

They are not criminals. They are simply people who failed to meet a requisite standard required by the law.”

Mr Sullivan says the D’Espositos have spent well over $1 million defending the case. MPI says its investigation and prosecution has cost around $2.5 million.

“There’s a cost associated with everything that we do,” says Mr Ham. “It was worthy for this investigation to be conducted to unearth this type of offending. Further to that, what’s the cost of not doing the investigation?”

“We’ve got rules for a reason,” says commercial fisherman Karl Warr, who’s based in Napier.

“Rules have to be upheld or we might as well get rid of them. Because if they’re not being upheld, what’s the point of them being there?”

He says misreporting skews fisheries population data and could ultimately lead to declines in fish numbers.

“It frustrates me because a lot of the fisheries science is based on catch per unit effort, so if we’ve got fish coming out that’s not being recorded then in terms of the fisheries management picture, it tips that upside down.”

History of conspiracy The D’Esposito family has been involved in fishing in New Zealand since migrating here from Italy in 1918. They own 14 vessels, they process fish, export it and sell it from retail shops and online.

Hawke’s Bay Seafood’s is the dominant player on the docks in Napier and a big employer in the region. But it’s not the first time they’ve squared off in court against MPI. “Historically there are offences that have been committed by this company before,” says Mr Ham. Another MPI investigation, Operation Round Up, found Joe and Nino D’Esposito were behind one of the biggest illegal fishing conspiracies ever uncovered.

It was in the early 1990’s when they fished out of Wellington.

The case summary says they colluded with fishermen to falsify records and 574 tonnes of orange roughy was misdeclared as cardinal fish - a fish of lesser value - or not declared at all.

Over several weeks the D’Esposito brothers’ company paid cash for illegal hauls of fish - and no landing returns were submitted.

They were fined close to $1 million, which at the time was the biggest fine ever dished out by the district court.

It was after that case the D’Espositos left Wellington and headed for the harbours of Hawke’s Bay. Then in 2009 they were caught misreporting again. This time at least 900kg of moki was landed from their vessel ‘Trial B’ and falsely reported as blue warehou, another lesser value fish.

MPI has to ‘follow due process’ Despite this history, Steve Ham says MPI can’t stop the D’Espositos fishing.

“We are bound by the court process and we bound by what we can do.

It’s not a matter of purely MPI plac-

ing banning orders on a person.

We have to follow due process.

“Technically they were gaining a market advantage across other legally operating operators in NZ who were fishing in the same fishery.”

But Mike Sullivan says there was never any deliberate intent.

“There is another scenario that is not in play in this courtroom which is that a person sets out to deliberately misreport fish for personal pecuniary gain. That is not the scenario that is before this court.”

Marcus D’Esposito, the company’s general manager, has been identified as the most culpable as he knew of the misreporting and didn’t stop it.

Joe and Nino didn’t know of the offending, but because they are company directors, they bear some responsibility.

“They own that responsibility for that offending and have subsequently taken steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again,” says Mr Sullivan.

Karl Warr says the convictions for Hawke’s Bay Seafoods are a bad look for the industry.

“We as commercial fishers have been given the privilege of managing the surplus stock for benefit of the economy and wellbeing of the country, so we have a duty of care to do that well. And offending in those areas does not bode well for a good public image.”

MPI has been criticised for not prosecuting in other cases - like Operation Bronto in 2011, where hundreds of tonnes of hoki was under-reported by some of our biggest fishing companies.

The D’Espositos claim they’ve been unfairly targeted, but MPI says that’s not the case.

“I think we need to make the point here that if this offending had occurred elsewhere with any other company we still would have taken this case, and we would have still investigated it to the full extent. They’re by no means special,” says Mr Ham. The judge in this case has reserved his decision on sentencing. The Crown has signalled it wants up to $1.5 million in fines.

As for the four offending vessels, they›re now technically the property of the Crown and there will be fines to get them back. But they haven›t been stopped from going fishing.

Credits: Newshub Nation

The future of the inshore fishery is up for grabs Intense pressure is being put on the Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash not to reduce the commercial catch limits and is getting nasty and could end up in court.

The commercial stakeholder’s stupidity in opposing fishery catch reductions for fish stocks that are clearly depleted is selfish and immoral. When you consider the

objections to reductions are coming from the commercial fishers and stakeholders who through wasteful methods of harvest and total lack of any moral fibre, depleted the fishery in the first place.

The scary thing is that the history of the NZ commercial fishery tells us is that as soon as a fish stock has even a remote chance

of its catch being reduced, every commercial vessel will target as many of those fish as possible before the reduction takes place.

In the case of tarakihi that is said to be depleted and the Minister is trying to reduce commercial catch, instead of the commercial fishers giving the fish stock break while they access the bio-mass it is more

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likely that the threat of a cut will induce a commercial fishing vessel stampede to the tarakihi grounds depleting the stocks even further.

Our tarakihi has been overfished by commercial fishers to the point that they need victim support. We can’t see the destruction of the habitat of

the fine corals and shell beds caused by commercial grade trawl nets and heavy duty long lines because they are covered in seawater, but the catch rate and falling size of the fish tells us it’s time to rebuild the fishery.

We don’t expect the NZ commercial fishers to take responsibility for their

5

greed and lack of moral fibre any more than any international commercial fisher would because of the Hawk Bay Seafood example shows us that our NZ commercial fishers are only sorry when they have been caught, convicted and are in front of a Judge on sentencing day.

Exclusive Access Loophole to be Closed?

by Dick Featherstone

A shortcoming in the Conservation Law Reform Act that set up Fish and Game Councils, has been allowing some trout fishing guides and individuals to gain exclusive access to rivers while denying the rest of anglers access by paying a fee to the landowner But that’s illegal. Tony Orman is an angler/writer who over many years, has called for the loophole in the law to be plugged.

Tony Orman publicly raised the issue back in 1974 in the old “ NZ Outdoor” magazine after the then Minister of Lands Duncan McIntyre attempted to justify a foreign Te Anau landowner Stockton Rush exploiting the Upukeroa river’s fishing by saying “It’s not the fishing being charged for but the access.”

“That was simply weasel wording,” said Tony Orman. “The loophole was obvious back then and it’s inexplicable that the NZ Acclimatisation Society Council and it’s CEO did not rectify it back then or certainly when the Conservation Law Reform Act was passed.

However, the Conservation Law Reform Act that set up Fish and Game Councils prohibits the selling fishing rights but failed to address the shortcoming..

The counterpart in shooting is Sec 23 Wildlife Act which prohibits selling shooting rights. Tony Orman said the attitude of Fish and Game becomes all the more confusing as pheasant preserves inexplicably backed by NZ Fish and Game, undeniably charge shooting rights.

Tony Orman s not a duck or game bird shooter but he says the Section 23, Wildlife Act principle, as matched for trout and salmon fishing by Section 26ZN in the Conservation Law Reform Act are fundamental to the public ownership of fish and game resources.

He wrote an article which was published in the NZ Outdoor magazine in November 1974 inserting into the then Act, three little words - “or access thereto” - to close the loophole, i.e. to prohibit charging for access.

He repeated the need in his writings

in later years. But nothing was done.

Then Bryce Johnson the former head of Fish and Game belatedly 31 years later - picked it up and on 11 February 2005 a memo went from Fish and Game NZ to the Minister of Conservation Chris Carter “making it an offence for any person to sell, let or purchase for fee or reward the rights of access for the purposes of fishing or hunting.” This became known as the Palmer Amendment since lawyer and former PM Geoffrey Palmer drafted it. But by curious events within Fish and Game it got tossed around and never actioned and lay gathering dust it seems.

At a recent meeting where new Fish and Game NZ CEO Martin Taylor spoke, Tony Orman asked him of intentions re “The Palmer Amendment.”

“Martin seemed really receptive to closing the loophole,” said Tony Orman. “It was very gratifying.”

Editor’s note: “Fishing and Outdoors” watches with interest and will keep readers informed.

During the days of live sheep exports from Australia a ship laden with sheep sunk. There was one sheep, a shepherd and his dog who were the only survivors and they managed to reach a desert island.

After a month the shepherd started to get amorous towards the sheep but every time he made advances the dog would attack him.

A plane crashed nearby and the sole person left alive was a beautiful woman who the shepherd rescued and looked after.

One day the woman said to him “You rescued me, built me a hut caught fish and feed me is there anything at all I can do for you, anything just ask.” “Yes” he replied. “You couldn’t take this bloody dog for a walk for me please.”

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Letters to editor Destruction of spawning grounds Dear Sir Everyone I live on a small tributary of the Styx River.

Today I have 4 large Browns spawning in the 30 meter section in my garden. I have been here 16 years now and the spawning runs are happening later each year. In 4 weeks or less the CCC work parties will be coming through chopping all weeds they walk up and down bed of these small streams the water turns to chocolate water and the redds of the spawning fish are destroyed.

I have tried for years now to get Fish and Game, CCC, Ecan, Forest and Bird and individual councillors to stop this.

These are the spawning grounds for all of the Styx. I urge you all to ring Fish and Game, ECan, CCC, councillors to get them to stop this horrible practice its destroying our fishery and its replicated all over Canterbury.

Shirley Fraser Christchurch

DoC Ignorantly Stupid

about 78 kilos of 1080 in bush a few kilometres away from a major river on Stewart Island.

How many native birds have dies a needless cruel and brutal death along with deer from this incompetence and deliberate act.

How many similar dumps have gone on over the years in our beautiful country.

Well it was once a beautiful country now it is the most poisoned piece o land on Mother Earth and our governments are a disgrace.

I can’t emphasize people enough to go on their computers and bring up TV Wild by the Graf brothers. It’s the only way we can try to educate people what is exactly going on.

There is nothing more disgusting than the sight of dead rotting maggot infected carcases or poisoned deer and pigs. These animals have crept to rivers and streams where they have died, left lying in or near water because past and present governments have brought about these needless cruel acts of a slow and tortuous death.

The myth of a pest free NZ by 2050 is a hoax. This campaign is all about making money.

These politicians, councillors, DoC workers are a disgrace to the name conservation and completely responsible for this cruelty.

DoC was responsible for killing the whitetail deer herd and Diamond Lake above Glenorchy Queenstown in the 1960’s. My mate and I stayed at the Old Homestead and used to watch these elegant and graceful animals every evening while we were fishing the lake for trout.

Now they are organising a huge drop in the Raukumara Range that runs from Waihau Bay to Opotiki-Matawai main Road.

What will it take to get rid of the liars and criminals?

Dear Ed, Years ago before the DoC ugly baby was born, government said weka were terrible pests because although they preyed and ate many rats. They also preyed on anything else from native snails to small birds. Native preyed on native just as falcons prey on this and bellbirds, so what? That is nature’s food chain. Wekas by trapping, were almost wiped out on Stewart Island.

Now DoC says weka are terrible pests and on DoC’s model on Ulva Island nearby for predator control wekas were exterminated with brodifacoum, which takes up to 3 Dick Featherstone weeks to kill - a very hateful, cruel Thames poison. DoC is so cruel and stupid. They do not understand 5th form biology to do with predator/ Fish and Game model prey relationships and food chains. flawed Yet there are some unthinking people who say DoC are under-funded. Dear Sir Flora Nightingale The Fish and Game model is flawed, the national body and Otago managers, determine where the money comes from and where DoC – the inhumane killers it goes, if they don’t support reof our world gions then the membership will drop and they will be out of funds.

Dear Sir It is in the interests of National TV3 news recently showed the body to sort things, ie 28% loss totally disgraceful dumping of in revenue in one area means

152 Queen Street, Cambridge Phone 07 823 4206, Fax 07 823 4209 Trevor 0272 515 822, Jenny 0272 823 420

that the fishery will ultimately suffer, with no long term plan.

The North Canterbury region with the salmon decline, fish screens not working, and the destruction of the Rakaia and Rangitata needs a fish Hatcheries review and nationwide.

Brian Jones Waiau

Fish and Game suggest catch restrictions Dear Sir What dithering idiot in Fish and Game came up with this proposal?

The reason we have salmon shortages in the southern rivers is simply because Fish and Game haven’t stepped up to the mark.

They have side-stepped the issues and done sweet fanny all, while our water flows have sub-sided and the rivers have become degraded through leaching and dairy run-off.

Drinking cups of tea and sitting on your butts when the answers are obvious is not excusable.

I agree with Taylor’s comment “New Zealand’s wild salmon fishery is in crisis and needs urgent action to save it.”

But that’s where it stops this idiot needs to front up the DoC and the relevant Ministers and kick butt, not take it out on the anglers.

We don’t need new regulations. We need someone at the top that actually cares about what the real problems are.

The salmon fishery is in crisis because he and his predecessor haven’t done their jobs.

The Anglers Club’s know exactly what the issues are and some of the regional branches of Fish and Game do as well.

We have some top staff in the regions but they are hampered by idiots like this at the top.

Taylor needs to get off his butt, come south and listen to his staff before he opens his big mouth.

Trout populations have declined he is correct but Taylor is not fighting the issues or supporting his regions.

The decline has been in rivers such as the Waitaki, Rakaia and the Rangitata, which just happen to be the most abstracted rivers in the South Island.”.

Irrigators could do to stop the decline of salmon population, such as installing fish screens which currently most are non-compliant.

80% of suspended solids and pollution enter waterways through ditches and drains that completely escape the attention of the RMA. Suspended solids are of particular concern to both salmon redds being smothered. Invertebrate food sources for smolt migrating downstream. A lack of nutrition means they don’t reach the sea at a survivable weight and that ensures they will not return.

These ditches and drains should also be the focus for improving water quality... for water bird habitat... and topically at the moment... they are the traditional homes of native fish... now devoid of cover and food sources severely damaged.

Peer-reviewed evidence shows that it’s human impacts such as agriculture and land use change, as well as blockages to fish passages and altering the flow regimes of rivers that have decimated our fish population.

It is fascinating to see that the impact of trout compared with what humans have done is less than 1%.

If we get the land right, fix up the fish passage and flow issues, we can restore our fish populations at the same time as maintaining sports fisheries. That also gives a lot of hope for the whitebait and eel issues.

The main rivers only have a fraction of the water they had to run clear 20 years ago example the Rakaia would run clear at about 150 to 200 cum now it is around 120.

The Waimak in the mid 1990’s ran clear at 110-13 cum now it is around 75-80 cum the lowering of the mean levels means fine silt falls out of the water column and armours the bottom and sets like concrete. Floods don’t move it much. This kills the food chain as well you don’t get the buildup of shin-

Visit us on www.facebook/Fishingandoutdoorsnewspaper gle at the mouth and up the coastline and that is eroding. Have a look at the Waitaki. the other thing that happens is lower flows drain the spring headwaters which means there is less spawning streams and that affects all species of fish native as well and has a big impact on the health of the river.

When this happens you have weeds growing on the braided river beds and councils come along and spray using chemicals that are toxic to aquatic life during the time of the year when native fish are running up the rivers and salmon smolt are running down them.

Leave the water in the rivers so the salmon can return and breed!! Water takes for farming are ridiculous and are the main source of smolt disappearing into irrigation races before making it to sea! Wake up.

Brian Jones Rolleston

Giant con job on the public of NZ Dear Sir What really annoys me is no matter what they are told by experienced hunters, ex trappers, outdoor types and others about the disastrous effects it has on the bush life they take absolutely no notice at all and trot out the same old crap about how good it is on killing TB infected possums and killing rats and stoats by secondary poisoning. And all those in government listen to and believe them as well as gospel words. What a giant con job on the public of NZ. Good one thanks. Be interesting to see if they reply but I doubt it.

Their attitude is they are right and thousands of ordinary NZ people are wrong and don’t know what they are talking about I was told yesterday by an elderly fisherman that there used to be heaps of frogs croaking at night around Lake Otamangakau beside where we live.

Now silence. DoC or EPRO would probably say the shags ate them all.

Be interesting to see if DoC reply but I doubt it. Their attitude is they are right and thousands of ordinary NZ people are wrong and don’t know what they are talking about.

Trev Lake O

Hiding the truth about pesticides

So he has seen, walked in and fished in the crappy polluted rivers with almost no water in them.

Yet we see he is the Minister for the Environment..

This man is either a hypocrite or a liar or both.

He certainly doesn’t stack up to be a man of integrity He mentions that by the end of the elections that “By the end of it.

On TV programme, every political party accepted that in some catchments, we have excessive intensive land use, we can go no further and it needs to be pulled back.”

He credits that result to growing public frustration.

Parker detects a growing realisation that having a healthy environment, including clean water, does not have to be at the economy’s expense.

80% of suspended solids and pollution enter waterways through ditches and drains that completely escape the attention of the RMA.... suspended solids are of particular concern to both salmon redds being smothered... and smothered invertebrate food sources for smolt migrating downstream... a lack of nutrition means they don’t reach the sea at a survivable weight... they will not return... I feel the focus has to go on these drains and ditches...

Parker also says he promises movement in the Resource Management Act, the cornerstone of NZ’s environmental law.

Parker says he thinks some of the processes are arcane and takes far too long to change a plan and that he is looking at that. But added he has no intention of changing Part Two Parker helped set up Water Conservation Orders on some of NZ’s outstanding rivers and waterways like the Rakaia but said that they are weak when it comes to water quality.

But that is where the story stops dead in its tracks.

Parker fails to mention what he actually doing to stop the continued degradation of our rivers and the manipulation and collusion of councils with government departments that allow this. When you consider the effluent and sewerage being pumped into waterways under the watchful of government bureaucrats and councils his message is hollow and disgusting.

Bruce Smith North Otago

No one ever mentions the role of pesticides, even though the death of aquatic wildlife cases I’ve learned about recently have ALL involved pesticides.

Last week I shared a Landcare Research report about little blue penguin beach-wrecked carcasses being found with multiple anticoagulants in them. 50% of them had at least one anticoagulant toxin in them.

The wildlife trust page where I shared the information, had been talking about penguins washing up on west coast beaches.

It seemed relevant to point out this report to identify possible causes of death.

The person running the page, instantly deleted my post and blocked me. Why do people want to hide this information? Why, when they are environmentalists, do they want to hide the truth about toxins harming our wildlife?

The government is bankrolling deceit and collusion with many socalled environment organisations that have hidden agendas on what is introduced and native species.

Ospri a company owned by Dairy NZ, NZ Beef, Lamb and Deer Industry NZ show disgusting subterfuge and hidden agendas, in order to herald the annihilation of our wild animals under the guise of fighting TB when there is none.

Jacinda Tell Eugene

George Daniels Whangarei

Agatha McKenzie Hawkes Bay

I am bloody angry

Kea being killed

Dear Sir I have just finished read David Parkers interview in the Fish and Game magazine.

Parker is a self-confessed outdoors enthusiast and a fly fishermen.

Doc and Ospri’s lies and cover-ups on the large numbers of our native birds being killed is disgusting.

Here is an excellent, but depressing, short film about the death of Keas. https://www.youtube.com/

Prime Minister Jacinda Adern announced a crackdown on plastic bags because New Zealand wants to preserve its clean, green image and New Zealanders care about the environment.

Sitting alongside was a smiling Minister of Conservation Eugene Sage who wants to dump 1080 poison far and wide and does not seem to care that kea until the last 20 years were very common but are now endangered because of poisons. Similarly with kiwi.

Jacinda Adern needs to know a few things.

1. NZ uses 92% of the world’s 1080.

2. Birds like the kea and kiwi have become endangered only since the “monster out of control” DoC was born (1987) 3. For a country of under 5 million, NZ has once free flowing rivers now dry with slime infested pools 4. Our fisheries are plundered by corporate greed and run on a free market system in the quota management system.

5. NZ has an ailing environment through chemicals being dumped via pest poisons and agricultural chemicals and so on.

Jacinda the “clean green” claim is a lie. It is in tatters. Time to tell Eugene the truth and to get real.

watch?v=ekRWBhUx4bI But it is not only Kea that is being eliminated by 1080 and other poisons, it is all our endemic wildlife - none of which are found anywhere else in the world - that are poisoned by 1080: direct or indirect.

And they are all doomed as long as we have idiots running DOC - well supported by idiots in Parliament!

M. Michaels Greymouth

Main Stream Media biased and one-eyed The following letter to the editor was sent to Kamala Hayman, the Editor of ‘The Press’ Stuff Canterbury.

Dear Kamala, I saw recently on a Facebook page 1080 Eyewitness your response to Kerry James Goodhew about why you were not publishing his contribution about 1080. Your reasoning was that the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment had produced the most definitive overview of our 1080 use and concluded that not only that it was effective and safe despite a small number of deaths including 8 dogs in four years –but that New Zealand should use more of it.

I beg to differ on your comments.

In fact a read of the report by anyone with even a modicum of experience with the poison would reveal that the document is littered with factual errors and rather than an impartial review of the use of the poison it is more like it was written by a mad poisoner.

Rather than take my word about the report perhaps you could take a look at a more considered evaluation of the PCE Report prepared by Dr Jo Pollard.

It is available on Google and called “A scientific evaluation of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s views on 1080 Dr Jo Pollard, BSc (Hons), PhD (Zoology)”.

At least Dr Pollard has the necessary qualifications to speak on the matter whereas the then Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment had no such skills. One of the concerns many of us who oppose 1080 have is that our media refuse to print anything that opposes its use, the dangers of it and the suffering of the animals, birds etc. killed by the poison.

Currently legislation protects those killing animals with these slow acting poisons by exempting them from prosecution whereas a member of the public, farmers etc. doing the same things would face public persecution and prosecution. The numbers of dogs being killed every year by 1080 far exceed the low numbers in the report by the PCE and on that basis alone shows the lack of the accuracy of the report.

Thousands of deer, estimated at 30,000 per year, are killed annually and they die much slower than dogs taking several days to die from 1080.

Brodifacoum is even slower to kill.

Video evidence exists of deer thrashing around crying out in agony after ingesting the poison baits. The area where the video of one deer dying after ingesting poison is in a Lower Hutt suburb just metres from a house and 500 metres from a school.

The media have a responsibility to present both sides of any situation but in the case of 1080 there is little printed about 1080 unless it sings the praises of the poison which incidentally is banned in many countries and is without an antidote. It has been used for well over 60 years and despite ever increasing volumes of the poison being used the numbers of birds keep dropping.

One might ask when enough is enough. In recent times there has been exposure by Paddy Gower on TV3 of the negligence of the contractors involved in handling of the poison and the exposure shown to date is just the tip of the iceberg.

Recently Dr Jamie Steer and Wayne Linklater of Wellington have received some coverage on TV3 of their views that the Predator Free 2050 is a flawed concept and cannot be achieved. Many others who have experience and are well quali-

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fied have presented submissions that oppose the use of the poisons currently used to kill so called pests.

Little is ever printed because editors such as you hang their hat on a deeply flawed report by Jan Wright.

Dr Quinn and Patricia WhitingO’Keefe, Dr Jo Pollard, Jim Hilton along with Dr Jamie Steer and Wayne Linklater among others can and should be making a contribution to what happens to our environment.

Our Minister for the Environment should engage with these people and seek their input. In the past there has been tendency by many who have a contribution to make to stay silent as there has been disparagement of anyone who has a view that does not support more and more use of deadly poisons.

Labels such as tin hat wearing crackpots and terrorists are a few of the labels used. We have instances of secondary poisoning from eating animals poisoned by 1080 being called botulism long after the botulism was eliminated as a cause. The heart of a young tourist suspected of being poisoned by 1080 mysteriously disappeared in transit to the test facility.

In some instances where the law has been an impediment to people wanting to drop poisons the law has been changed virtually overnight and requirements to obtain consents have been over turned.

Conditions imposed by an independent commissioner no longer needed to be complied with. Nick Smith was one such exponent of this type of action. There is currently a Court of Appeal decision awaited on the dropping of brodifacoum in a Sanctuary in Nelson.

At the appeal hearing Forest and Bird did a complete U-turn on their previous contention that the dropping of the poison was legal and instead advised the Court that the Judge had erred and they no longer supported their earlier view.

The myth that possums are the main vector of the spread of TB has well and truly been dispelled. In response to questions in the House it was revealed that of over 124,000 possums autopsied less than 0.00436% had TB. New Zealand is well below the international threshold for being declared TB free and has been for quite some years but with the help of the media myths about possums being responsible for TB in cattle continue. There are many reasons for disquiet about 1080 yet our media are strangely silent.

In the case the threat to put 1080 in baby milk formula the anti-1080 sector were labelled by the media and indeed our prime minister at the time as terrorists, unemployed drop-outs and nutcases. When the culprit was found it was a government employed poison contractor annoyed he was missing out on a share of the trough of public funds.

An apology has never emerged.

It would appear that our media are somewhat muzzled on the matter of 1080 and we would like answers as to why. Animals in this country have been declared as sentient beings and killing them with slow acting poisons over days and weeks hardly fits the concept.

Perhaps you can review what contributions you do print, based on some of the aspects I have raised.

Geoff Guenole Wellington sept thou

Media in trouble Dear Sir Is Fairfax media in trouble? Well done, everybody! Having just had a call to invite me as a former, long-time subscriber to the Nelson Mail, to take up a heavily discounted subscription again to this flagrantly biased local paper – or even to the Christchurch Press - it was a great pleasure to refuse. And to say why, in some detail...

Even our main television channel is screening biased and onesided propaganda.

Presenters with no knowledge of issues yet portraying themselves as experts.

Others everywhere are voting with their feet to walk away from our main stream media giants, fed up with the politicization and bias of the daily news - fed up with columnists so ignorant and arrogant that we have given them the thumbs down - and fed up with the suppression of letters to the editor which don’t suit the agenda of those running these papers. The tide is turning! - Thanks to all you individuals saying no! Bravo.

J. Williams Takaka

NZ First Gone?

I have just been sent an email to which was attached a video clip of Winston Peters speaking at a preelection meeting on 2 August 2017.

He said when asked about 1080, “Everyone’s given up on 1080 but us,� he said referring to many other countries banning it but little old NZ ranking top spreader with 92% of the world’s usage.

Then he said “1080 is a very dangerous product.�No disagreement there.

Then he took a swing at the extremely rabid green section saying “astonishingly Forest and Bird nutters defend the use of 1080.� Agree 100%.

Now this has turned out to be electioneering rhetoric at its grubbiest.

There’s another associated happening to this too.

Firstly NZ First’s very good MP Richard Prosser, the party’s outdoor recreation spokesman and a man of integrity and common-sense, was basically removed from parliament by NZ First demoting him from number 3 to number 15 on the party list. Richard Prosser was forthright about 1080 and the wastage, destruction and corruption. He was forthright on other outdoor issues such as better deals for recreational saltwater fishers.

Rumour is corporate fishing companies wanted Richard Prosser gone.

Winston Peters needs to answer why Richard Prosser was booted down the list.

He needs to answer questions around his pre-election promises to get rid of aerial 1080 poison and his wish to look for alternatives.

Not that alternatives are needed for the whole 1080 programme is based on fiction, lies and shonky compliant science.

Well Winston?

Continuing silence on the 1080 issue will translate to a lot of lost votes in 2020.

Bye Bye NZ First

why the majority of NZ wants it banned and just focus on the animals.

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to realise that 1080 is a cruel and slow agonizing method of killing animals which in this day and age is unacceptable worldwide.

When it’s deemed illegal to leave a dog in a hot car or load a pregnant cow on a truck for slaughter you turn a blind eye and condone the horrific slow agonizing death of thousands of animals.

If you feel there is a need to kill every living animal in an area because you think certain animals are more important and have more rights than others then it’s your duty to do so as quickly and humanely as possible even if that means using harder and slower options. Unfortunately the world is now full of groups of people who think their cause is the right cause and everyone else is wrong and are willing to use any sick and twisted method to reach their goals.

If you needed a dog put down would you support taking it to the vet or would you just nail its kennel shut and set fire to it because it quicker and cheaper?

Time you stop blithering on about how clever you are and how dumb the anti-crew are and take your blinders off and just think about what you are actually supporting.

Just a side note, long before pests arrived in NZ there have been scores of extinctions, after they arrived there has been none. Before 1080 there were lots of possum’s lots of predators.... and lots of birds.

Now there is far less possums less predators....and far fewer birds.

Possum numbers way down

Dear Sir Living in an area under the Kakaramea hills which are due for another 1080 drop after the last one three years ago I was concerned enough to write to Epro in Taupo asking why it needed doing again.

I never even got the courtesy of a reply, instead a young employee was sent over to talk to me.

I won’t give his name to save any potential embarrassment.

I asked him how many positive TB reactors in cattle and deer on the farms bordering the area had turned up to be told none.

I was then told their aim was to get the possum numbers down to two animals per hectare.

Next question. Do you do any folStop the killing of animals low-up work to check possum numbers after a poisoning operation?

Dear Sir No was the answer.

To every Doc, Forest and Bird When asked how do you acand 1080 supporter out there. tually know then what posYou can forget all the many reasons sums a hectare are present?

He couldn’t answer this question.

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Years ago before and after a poison operation several things were done to give a god idea of how many possums were present both before the poison application and afterwards.

An area would be measured off before the drop and a faecal count of possum droppings taken; this was repeated after the drop after a period of time.

100 traps used to be set say two weeks after the poison drop if over four possums were caught it hadn’t been a successful operation.

Sometimes a count would be made of bird sightings and calls over a period of time and the same thing repeated in the same place and time after the drop to get an idea of how bird numbers had been affected.

However none of these things seem to be done now days to see if this dream target of two possums per hectare is reached.

What a crock of absolute BS. I have been hunting deer and trapping possums all over this area on both our side and the Turangi side for over roughly forty years plus and I would give an educated guess that at present possum numbers are far below the target of two per hectare.

So why is it being done again?

Trevor Coker Turangi

Strong forces manipulating our resources

I very upset to read in the August edition that in a five year period that 89 tagged kiwi have died in Tongariro Forest. That’s an average of one kiwi every twenty days. I have hunted and trapped in Tongariro Forest for forty odd years now and it is a huge area. How many other kiwi un-tagged that DoC doesn’t even know about have died goodness only knows. What is even more staggering is that not one single Kiwi was tested by DoC to establish the cause of death. DoC blames these deaths on predation by ferrets. But it gets worse! Tongariro Forest has had 1080 dropped on it nine times since 1976. The logical conclusion to draw from this is one of two things.

One, ferrets are immune to 1080, or the kiwi have died from something else with 1080 the main suspect. This is probably the reason why DoC has had no testing done to find the cause of the kiwi deaths as if it was proved to be 1080 that was responsible pressure would really be on DoC to cease using it.

They are meant to protect our native birds, not kill them. In 1997 I spent a whole year working as a volunteer for DoC in Tongariro Forest running 366 Fenn traps on five trap lines trapping stoats. I caught lots of stoats, some rats, two possums and one solitary ferret.

There must have been one hell of a population explosion of ferrets since 1997. It’s about time that the DoC director-general Lou Swanson and the Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage got off their respective butts and told the truth about 1080 and what it kills as well as the so called target species, TB infested possums.

Pest free New Zealand by 2050, yea right, sounds like a Tui beer advertisement. Rabbits have been in NZ since 1838 and they can’t even be exterminated. I feel now that the year I spent on Project Kiwi trapping stoats was a complete and utter waste of time. I would have been better of working elsewhere for wages.

area, only to find myself distracted by having to dodge clumps of used toilet paper, to the point that I didn’t get much of a shot. I also disturbed an elderly couple who seemed a tad distracted by our arrival....  It got me thinking. How many roadside toilet blocks/stops are there off the Desert Road? We didn’t see any. Has there been a surge in building new ablution blocks to complement the huge increase in Tourism? I have recently attempted to raise the issue of the poor standards of ablutions available to travelers in general.

Toilets are not well presented, they cater for dozens of Bus Tour groups and a large travelling population of other tourists, family groups, truckies and other commercial travelers. The daily usage is phenomenal often with queues waiting outside and the bus drivers patiently shepherd them back across the road to continue their escapades.

Again on a pristine drive up the Matukituki River Road, Wanaka; no ablutions or signs to indicate their presence. No motorhome this trip, and it’s a long drive back again! We did make it!

We value the right to “Freedom Camp� - this doesn’t mean the right to have someone else clean up after you. We are living in our motor-home, use our built-in facilities and appreciate the investment the NZ Motor Caravan Assoc. makes in co-operating with local councils to also provide grounds for parking and dump stations. We see so many ‘people-mover’ type vehicles, frequently with young tourists, here for a cheap holiday, often from Europe. They love New Zealand. Now there are genuine concerns that the ‘Self-Containment’ stickers on a number of these vehicle types are proving to be highly questionable and the NZMCA have been forced to place limitations on who is able to join the Association. The importance of driving on the correct side of the road and respecting our road laws, also applies to care of our environment - it needs protection! And if we want Tourism to be such a huge contributor to our economy then we need to take responsibility for making sure tourists understand the importance of our environment, our hygiene standards - and along with that provide the conveniences to accommodate these huge numbers. So many tourists are not just on tour buses, they love to take the back roads too.... like Australia does quite well, we need ‘outback’ ablution blocks too! Ordinary ‘Kiwis’ need them too!

Not everyone has the freedom a Motorhome/Campervan gives.Â

Sophie Broadhurst

Jan M. Waikato.

Dear Sir I called you a couple of weeks ago about your article on MPI.  Great work.  There are very very strong forces manipulating our resources and land in NZ currently and it is bordering on utter corruption, much of it. Well I am telling you nothing new.  From my experience and encounters I could tell you stories that would make your hair stand on end in the roading and property development industries. One in particular, while unrelated to your work relating to fisheries, is use of motor Trevor Coker cycle gang enforcers/associates to Turangi “convince� people to sell their land in Rodney to a certain property developer. This is actually happening Their little sheep and the police I am told are barely interested. That property devel- Dear Sir oper owns a very large house-hold I have to say I believe the conspiracy name New Zealand company. Fact. theory that 1080 has nothing to I congratulate you on your work do with pest control and all to do and hope you can bring about with human control. They poison some change. If I can assist your the water, land and animals so you cause around fisheries/resourc- have to drink their fluorided waes in any way, do let me know.  ter you have to buy their meat and you have to buy their food, they Christoph Hoessly don’t want us to be self-sufficient Kingsland they want us to participate in their system, their little sheep that do as TONGARIRO FOREST AND we’re told and make the top few more rich and more powerful...

KIWI

Value the right to Freedom Camp We do need cats Dear Sir We have not read your paper before - interesting and informative. The relationship between ‘toxic soil structure’ imbalances and Kauri Die-back Disease seem a real possibility. Some investigations seem to miss the real, and obvious to some, possibilities/probabilities.

I would like to comment on the closing paragraph of ‘Didymo Dave’s column’ (August 2018; p11) while drawing on my previous comment.

I agree with “Dave�. I stepped out to take a photo of a cold, rocky Central Plateau stream alongside a rest

Dear Sir Duncan Garner mentioned that New Zealand needs to kill the cats to be able to go “Predator Free�. It is clear that Duncan may not be aware of some of the facts about cats and the environment. As an example, Research undertaken by Harper, on Stewart Island, showed that cats don’t prey on kiwi, but rather they prey on rats.

If the rats die out, so do the cats, or the cats move territory to where there are rats.

Cats can actually serve a purpose as a top predator in the environment.

Kiwi are - or where (DoC has started

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hand-laying poisons around the island, hence the reports of dead kiwi) - thriving on Stewart Island.

We know, because we film them.

The Urewera National Park (the part we frequent) has never had any cat, stoat, ferret, or rat control, yet the bird-life is the most diverse in the country, and the kiwi are also thriving. No interference by man.

This whole Predator Free thing has got out-of-hand. Only the ignorant and naive are falling for it, and of course those involved with enforcing it - because there’s so much money involved with forcing it on to the people (who will be paying for it).

And besides, who wants to be “predator free”, at the cost of poisoning the waterways and the environment? What a ridiculous idea it is.

Far better to leave the wilderness to manage itself and let evolution take its course. Sure, run some traps here and there if you need to, but interference by man will only result in disaster, as we are currently seeing where the poisons are being aerially spread.

John Waikato

What chance have our rivers got?

Dear Sir I am currently reading the August edition of your paper and would like to comment on a couple of your articles.

A very powerful opening story by Rex and sadly as an ex dairy farmer I am supportive of most of what he had to say, sadly because as he states this huge push to suck our rivers dry or fill them with dairy runoff is, yes, a reflection of a right wing policy to produce, at whatever cost. In regard to the argument re elected or appointed councillors, I’m a little unsure as to whom is more competent to be there.

In our local Regional Council, at the last election a retired National party hack retired after a number of years on the gravy train, stepped aside to be replaced democratically

by a Chairman of Federated Farmers and of course a dairy farmer .

The top polling candidate, yes, the Manager of a major Fertilizer company.

This happens all around the country, so what chance have our rivers got?

Regarding the 1080 debate, little snippets of DOC reports, unsubstantiated anecdotal evidence, don’t do much to support arguments against the use. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is a terrible poison, a bit like Chemotherapy, just about kills the patient, but in most cases what is the alternative? I’ve heard a thousand proposals over the last fifty or sixty years, most of which have been tried. What is the current estimated population of possums? Considerably more than there was when I was a ten year old trapper who got a bounty of two and six.

Finally, the Kauri dieback hypothesis draws a long bow, but perhaps, perhaps? Maybe worth some consideration, however I do think there may be the odd scientist or twenty looking into the root causes, if you’ll excuse my pun.

Cheers Laurie Cadman

What’s up with kea?

Dear Sir

us that the 1080 drops are helping kea, but I just don’t believe it.

I’ve read a lot of the theories and to me they just don’t quite ring true.

Most of it is questionable and to me, a reasonably smart guy, I’m not sold on DoC and F&B’s line on this.

I don’t have the scientific evidence either, but my gut feeling and a lifetime of observation in the bush and the mountains tells me that something’s not right here.

It would be a pathetic monumental travesty if we lost our kea by our governments own hand - extinction through poisoning by our own government conservation agencies.

I think DoC and OSPRI should suspend all aerial 1080 applications in kea habitat while a thorough independent or peer reviewed study is done on the real effects, benefits and risks to kea of aerial 1080 application.

The thing that gets me with the kea issue is the apparent lack of robust conclusive science in the decision making, or another way of putting it ‘reliance on inconclusive science’. Until truly robust independent or peer reviewed science is available on the effects of 1080 on kea, I think sound observation and application of common sense needs to be applied. It seems to me that after applying these simple principles the safest action right now is for the government agencies to ‘tia hoa’ on 1080 application in kea habitat, get that independent science without the influence of Forest & Bird and other interest groups and move forward appropriately then. DoC and our government agencies have some really good people. I’d like to think that right now behind the scenes they’re thinking along he same lines, without the blinkers of ideology and what’s gone before, observing and applying common sense in the absence of conclusive science and saying ‘hang on - something doesn’t look right here’. I sure hope so or we may be at risk of all witnessing one of the biggest conservation balls ups of our time.

I’ve always pretty much sat on the fence around the whole 1080 thing, never really liked it, but always accepted it as a necessary evil. But this whole thing around declining kea populations and 1080 really has me concerned. I love all of our native birds and a bunch of our introduced ones, but to me Kea are our most iconic bird, real characters and an icon of our mountains - the world’s only mountain parrot. The sight of kea and the sound of its unique call are one of those things that runs deep in the veins of all New Zealand mountain folk.

Now, I spend a lot of time in the mountains and I’ve noticed a marked decrease in kea numbers in the last few years. Close correlation to aerial 1080 application in these areas.

DoC and Forest and Bird are telling J. Cagney

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Banning dairying is the answer The NZ Herald recently published an article stating that banning cows would cause very significant social and economic problems, as well as unintended environmental issues.

It reminds us of the (then) Chair of Horizons RC, who lamented that meeting even the lax water quality standards set by the last government, would ruin the region economically.

There is so much about this article that is not just incorrect (by fact or omission), it is mischievous.

Using trucks as an analogy for cows might take on a more urgent meaning in mid-summer when Canterbury’s rivers and soils have dried up (the Hurunui is already on water restrictions - and it is the end of a wet winter). Of course, that will have nothing to do with burning fossil-fuels, will it? The analogy is relevant in one way though.

Just as the cost of driving a truck includes the health costs associated with accidents involving them -by the ACC levy, so the management of our waterways (especially in Canterbury) should take into account the health costs of one of the highest rates of human zoonoses in the western world.

We agree with the article that a nitrate level of 0.8mg/L is not based on any reputable science. The reputable science says that the level should be

0.5 mg/l. That was the ANZECC (2000) guidelines. May I also refer you to Environment International 32 (2006) 831–849, Ecological and toxicological effects of inorganic nitrogen pollution in aquatic ecosystems: A global assessment by Julio A. Camargo and Álvaro Alonso. The figure that doesn’t have any scientific validation is that of 6.8mg/l, which the previous Environment Minister simply used to make a pollution problem disappear.

Another of the herd of elephants in the room along with this article that doesn’t rate a mention is the correlation between intensive farming, overextraction, warming of surface water, and over-nutrification. I guess it is a bit ‘technical’. So, let’s quote Dr Mike Joy: ‘The impacts of nutrients on freshwater biodiversity and health are secondary. It’s not the nutrients (mainly nitrogen and phosphate) per se that are problematic, rather the secondary changes in ecosystem processes these nutrients cause. Rivers respond to nutrients the way your lawn would if you piled on fertiliser, they cause abundant plant growth. For rivers, the plants are algae and they bloom. You may have seen it - mats of slimy growth on river beds, and soupy green smelly water in slow moving parts of the river Like all plants, the algae photosynthe-

sise – they take up oxygen at night and produce it during the day as they respire, so too much nutrient causes huge daily swings in oxygen. The oxygen levels peak in late afternoon around 3pm and the lowest points are in the early morning around 3am.

In contrast, a healthy stream has constant oxygen, but as they become more enriched with nutrients and the algal/plant life blooms, then the more it fluctuates. These changes are harmful and eventually lethal for the river ecology, making it impossible for fish and insects to live except for a few hardy species who can gulp oxygen off the surface like goldfish in a bowl. Plus, the bed substrate becomes coated with the algal mats, restricting food and habitat availability for stream life. The changes caused by the excess nutrient driven growth makes the stream unattractive for bathers and fishermen as well.’.

It is hard for farmers to be staring down the barrel of losing a position of privilege in rural communities, but if they don’t change drastically, market forces will change things for them.

And that will cause an awful lot more angst. Regional Councils, as we know, almost without exception, are part of the problem, not part of the solution.

Commercial fishing - caught in another lie mercial fishers or the corporate stakeholders.

So the scummy wasteful practices of dumping large amounts of usable fish, trawling 100 metres of our beaches, towing trawl nets thereby destroying the seabed and killing The graph shows the decline of the fishery since before the QMS Dolphins, Sea Birds and Seals continued was introduced as part of the indusThe NZ export fishery is no longer a try’s standard operating procedure. sustainable option for our country. The commercial fisher’s constant From as far back as 1940 our wild fish criminal behaviour of unreporting fish stocks have been in decline. Before catch is well documented and has the mid-1980’s when the Quota Man- destroyed much of our fishery to agement System was introduced the below 40% of the natural biomass. commercial fishers caught as much When the commercial industry lie as their fish holds could carry and about how healthy the Hoki fishery is then dumped a cod end full on the and we find out it has collapsed, it is deck, before unloading at the dock. only justice that they have destroyed The fish stocks were destroyed all their own deep sea wild fishery. over NZ in the inshore and deepwa- We look forward to sending the ter fishery. This proved that left to published Hoki stock level results their own devices the commercial to all the export customers that fishers were not capable of manag- have been misled by the commering their own industry and would if cial fishers, who tricked the Marine given half a chance kill the last sur- Stewardship Council into giving viving fish to earn five more dollars. Hoki the green tick of sustainability.

The introduction of the QMS made The commercial fishing stakeholders most of the commercial fishing prac- seem to think that if they print good tices, like fish dumping and high grad- news or put on a TV show with a TV ing illegal rather than just wasteful host that most recreational fishers and immoral practices as it was when now despise, that the fishery is ok. commercial fishing was a free for all. They have once again been The QMS didn’t change the catch caught in another lie. method, the moral fiber of the com- No NZ fishing company has the right

to put a green Dolphin on any of its products while the Maui Dolphin is near extinction. The same spineless commercial fishing scumbags in NZ have fished the Tarakihi down to an estimated 17% of its biomass.

There are Crayfish, Bluenose and Paua stocks in decline.

The deliberate overfishing of our inshore fishery by the commercial export fishers is no better than having gang members rob your house of all its assets.

The overfishing of a public fishery for export profit that has a sustainable limit set is theft. Overfishing through waste, misreporting or high grading is an immoral act deliberately committed by people with no conscience or regard for others.

As a result these people only feel sorry when they get caught. There is hardly any part of the fishery that has not been repeatedly smashed and grabbed by our commercial fishers.

If Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash did the right thing by the NZ fishery he must put up the excepted sustainable level of biomass to 70% as it should be rather than the ridiculous 40% as it is now.

And Nash should close all those fisheries fished below that level that go for commercial export.

The commercial exporters have fished our entire fishery down so low that basically the entire fishery would be closed to commercial fishers. That brings us in a full cycle to the science based assessment that the commercial export fishery is no longer sustainable for NZ.

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Pumping Prison Poo into the Puniu River

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ers ignoring the public, thinking they are doing nothing wrong, and only getting addressed when the prove the wastewater discharge results are posted on media, and furfrom the Waikeria Prison we are ther jeopardising their social license. undertaking comprehensive main- But as pointed out, the problem retenance of the wastewater treat- ally lies with Regional Councils that ment system” and agreed that the permit this sort of behaviour. And the Waikeria Wastewater Treatment problem there is that most RC’s are Plant that indicates an estimated run by farmers for farmers, e.g.: (in count of Escherichia coli of 13,000 Horizons RC, 80% of councilors are cfu / 100 mL and an estimated farmers or have farming interests).

Total Suspended Solids level of g/ Federated Farmers has run an agm3. This is above the agreed limit.” gressive campaign for many years “On 15th May 2018, we took the to elect farmers on to regional counfinal clarifier off-line and used one cils. And the voting system makes of the aeration tanks as a settle- it very difficult to change or stop ment tank to allow an inspection of the clarifier. This reduced the hydraulic retention time through the aeration tanks. We were dosing the treated effluent with sodium hypochlorite (hypo) and had expected the final E. coli concentration would be reduced by Waikato Regional Council is urging this treatment. However, there dairy farmers to seek advice about were high flow rates from wet effluent management from accredweather at the time, so this combi- ited experts following the convicnation of factors (high flows, final tion of a Reporoa farming company. clarifier off-line) has resulted in insuf- In the Rotorua District Court, Judge ficient E. coli kill by the hypo dosing. Melanie Harland this week convicted and fined Bella Ridge Farms Limited Rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) fin- $41,850 for discharging a large volgerlings were exposed to sodium ume of dairy effluent from a farm hypochlorite (NaClO) in semistatic and into the Mangatete Stream.

LC50 tests for 48 h in dechlorinated The council estimated that approxiHelsinki tap water and water from a mately 450 cubic metres of dairy eflake. The gills of the exposed fish were fluent had been lost into the environmicroscopically examined. The epithe- ment in November 2016. This is the lium of the secondary lamellae in the NaClO exposed gills was thicker than in the controls (48 h LC50 0.35 mg Cl2/l) and the lamellae were curled with constricted blood spaces. The gill epithelium of fish exposed to NaClO in An Otorohanga farmer has been conwater was swollen and vacuolized (48 victed and fined a total of $57,000 h LC50 0.09 mg Cl2/l). After hypochlo- for discharging dairy effluent into rite exposure the gills of the pre- the environment while the Departacclimatized fish were almost totally ment of Corrections faulty effludestroyed (48 h LC50 0.07 mg Cl2/l). ent disposal system is ignored. This hefty fine comes within a week of The ten per centile allowed Cor- a $41,000 fine imposed on a Rerections to go over their lim- poroa farmer, also for dairy pollution. it without any ramifications. Both fines have come about as a If the Minister of Corrections Kelvin result of Waikato Regional CounDavis and the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton allows this degradation to occur and buck pass the issue what chance have our other waterways got?

Davis’s excuse was to say that he couldn’t interfere in the day to day operations of the Prison.

Misfeasance is not a word we see very often.

Which is a shame as it is such a powerful word with significant meaning – an allegation an office holder has misused or abused their power.

And in this case when a minister of the crown turns a blind eye to and/or sidesteps such a serious issue as this he or she doesn’t deserve the warrant which they hold as they are abusing the very people they purportedly represent.

This is a monumental environmental disaster that both are side stepping from.

When the new Prison build is completed in several months the issue is likely to escalate beyond imagination.

Under the Resource Management Act the Waikato Regional Council is legally the only body that can bind the crown and force them in court to fix the river.

No Regulatory authority is allowed to issue the government with a fine or abatement notice.

The WRC say that they will visit the Macnicol’s again to discuss the issues.

Corrections can basically do whatever they please under the Resource Management Amendment Act without any form of liability.

Prisons come under the national plan and the council’s district plan.

The Macnicol’s only available action is to take the council to court over the work they do ‘if it affects property beyond the boundaries of government land.’

that. And they are the very ones that allow rivers and aquifers to be over-extracted for irrigation. They are the ones that allow sediment runoff into waterways to smother the beds and kill off everything living there. They are the ones that allow low river flows to combine with inappropriately high nitrogen runoff which produces widespread cyanobacteria blooms. They are the ones that persuade themselves that curtailing any of this would kill the regional economy. They are completely self-serving and have just had nine years of a central government that has both encouraged and

9

fostered this. Now some chickens are coming home to roost, they have become very, very quiet indeed.

Farmers and their representatives are first and foremost a business, and business will always do what is best for them.

The checks and balances are supposed to come from central and regional government, representing the wider public interest. This isn’t going to happen while regional government at least is captured by the industry they are meant to control. Or a central government whose response to this is simply to weaken the expected standards.

Farmer fined over stream dumping while government facility ignored

What would you do if someone was pooing in your back yard?

Well that’s exactly what is happening to the Macnicol’s who are rural neighbours to Waikeria Prison.

Mrs Macnicol’s a retired widower is being treated like muck from Corrections.

They have tried to negotiate and communicate with Corrections and the Waikato Regional Council regarding the discharge of extraordinary high levels of E.coli from the Prisons antiquated sewerage treatment plant into the Puniu river near Te Awamutu is appalling and abhorrent.

The government has a responsibility as does Council to ensure that our waterways are in reasonable health. The Council hypocritically prosecutes farmers when the farmers are caught dumping sewerage into a waterway but ignore blatant dumpings by Corrections.

Effectively Waikeria Prison has set themselves above what is required for every business in New Zealand. They have sneaked through an illegal Resource Consent with Council support and then ignored their responsibility to our environment and waterways.

These are the very people that should be leading by example and setting the standard for other business to follow instead of rorting the system and leading the way in the degradation of our rivers.

The Prison was given a 20 year nonnotifiable Resource Consent for the sewerage treatment plant with a report stating that nobody would be adversely affected. It was all hushed up and approved under the table.

Andy Macnicol’s went to the Waikato Regional Council and indicated that they had their suspicions that the Prison’s treatment plant was not working correctly.

They got no help or assistance from the Council and no information from Corrections so they decided they would start digging into things.

Having acquired information covering a five year span of operational reports and activities from Corrections and within 30 seconds discovered an abhorrence of disasters.

The Council had not been monitoring the sewerage treatment plant properly and Corrections had

done nothing about the antiquated system which regularly failed.

It was just a total failure with E.coli levels in the 80 and 90 thousands.

The Council had not been notified for 4-5 months about the failures.

They got a resource consent for 3000 particles per hundred when todays standard is 125 per hundred. No private business would be allowed to operate with these readings.

At 90000 particles per 100 they still weren’t notifying people.

The former Tokanui Hospital has similar issues with their sewerage treatment plant all going into the Puniu.

Andy went to Fish and Game and explained to them what had occurred and they said that just stonewalled Fish and Game every time.

What Corrections is doing and allowing to be done is wrong. The Puniu is one of the most degraded rivers in New Zealand and Corrections border a fair chunk of it. Yet all they are doing under the watchful eye of Council is making things worse.

They were reading the water on the other side of the sewer outlet and when questioned said that it didn’t make any difference.

The plant is old and they were talking about an extension on their resource consent rather than an upgrade which was sorely needed.

The Macnicol’s now get regular monthly sheets which detail what is occurring as previously they got nothing.

The monthly sheets show that the E.coli readings still spike to 90,000. None of the government departments OSH, Health Board or Council is interested.

Where are the health warnings for this especially for users downstream?

The excuses are deplorable.

The Puniu River Care Trust are working with the MFE and carrying out fencing and planting work on the river. They say that “we are doing everything in our power to secure our position for the environmental works about to be done at the Waikeria Prison new Build. Due to the nature of the site there are many factors that contribute to the decisions being made.”

The Macnicol’s contacted Corrections in Wellington and they said they are doing what they need to do.

“As part of our commitment to im-

equivalent of 17 truck and trailer units full of effluent. The volume was such that it was able to be detected 8 kilometres downstream at Lake Ohakuri.

The prosecution was brought by Waikato Regional Council after being contacted by a member of the public who reported that the Mangatete Stream was “flowing green with effluent”.

The subsequent investigation found that an effluent irrigation pipe had been disconnected. Effluent had then syphoned from the pipe by virtue of gravity over a 14 hour period.

The effluent flowed across a short

distance of land and into the stream.

The council’s investigations and incident response manager, Patrick Lynch, said: “This incident was completely avoidable. The farmer had invested heavily in attempts to manage his effluent, however, he did not source good advice.

“The system did not have the usual safeguards and this discharge was the outcome. We strongly urge farmers to work with accredited dairy effluent designers to ensure their systems are fit for purpose,” Mr Lynch said.

Council hypocritically fine farmer cil carrying out prosecutions under the Resource Management Act. So why are these guys getting punished while Corrections don’t even get a warning when they are discharging into the Puniu River with regular readings over 90,000/100?

Is this not hypocritical of council?

“Waikato Regional Council takes breaches of the RMA very seriously and will use all of the regulatory tools

available to us to bring about positive behaviour change. For those who continue to let their own industry down, this fine sends a very clear message that unlawful effluent discharges into the environment will not be tolerated.”

The rural community needs to take action against the WRC for continuing to allow Corrections to discharge effluent.

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Hunters Back Scientists Criticism of Do we need to risk this “Impossible” Predator Free 2050 Dream The Sporting Hunters’ Outdoor Trust has condemned the much vaunted Predator Free 2050 campaign as unrealistic, unattainable and destructive ecologically.

The Trust’s spokesman Laurie Collins of West Coast said the Department of Conservation’s obsession with eradicating predators flew in the face of biological reality.

“Predators in a balanced ecosystem are an essential part of the established food chain,” he said.

Laurie Collin’s comment was in support of two scientists Associate Professor Wayne Linklater from Victoria University of Wellington’s School of Biological Sciences and ecologist Dr Jamie Steer, a Senior Biodiversity Advisor at the Greater Wellington Regional Council who recently said Predator Free 2050 was based on three flawed assumptions:1. that predator extermination was the best way to protect biodiversity 2. that there was a need to eradicateevery stoat, rat and possum to protect biodiversity.

3. that complete eradication of predators was possible.

Laurie Collins said predators existed everywhere and were part of Nature’s food web. Whales preyed on krill, falcon preyed on tui and bellbird, morepork preyed on native lizards and rats preyed on mice while stoats preyed on rats.

However attempted eradication by use of ecosystem poisons like 1080 upset the balance between species. Research had shown eliminating most but not all rats, enabled surviving rodents to erupt in numbers so within three to four years of a poison drop, numbers were three times original population.

“And along the way to the futile eradication dream, the poison has killed birds and he invertebrate creatures such as insects that are food to a number of avian species.”

Laurie Collins said it defied belief that public servants were stubbornly aiming to achieve the impossibility of extermination and that politicians like National’s Nick Smith and Mag-

Hunting body GAC under review Sage the Minister of Conservation has put the Game Animal Council under review.

The GAC is a statutory body whose goal is to improve the management of deer, chamois, tahr and wild pigs on conservation land.

Sage, said she is looking at the council’s role as a stakeholder liaison group and whether it had been effective. She probably wants the cash to spend on more 1080 poisoning.

“I think they have sought to have a greater role than the statute has given them,” Ms Sage said.

Minutes from the council›s last two meetings show that two directors have been in Las Vegas attending a hunting guides show.

The show was the annual convention of the Safari Club International a USbased group which claims to have spent US $140 million since 2000 on protecting the freedom to hunt

through lobbying and litigation.

It describes itself as a political force in Washington DC and other capitals.

The council chair, Don Hammond, said the trip was funded by the directors personally, not from the public purse and was organised because the council represents hunting guides.

The minutes also show that while in Las Vegas one of the directors met with an organisation called the International Conservation Coalition - whose purpose is to change the negative perception of hunters in the mainstream media.

ICC’s Facebook page posts about what is called the «sustainable utilization” of big game animals such as elephants and lions - or the harvesting of these animals to manage their conservation.

The minutes said the ICC wants financial support but the council can’t afford it at this stage, it would consider it in the future.

My first sika deer….!

We were all packed up ready to head home when one of the guys wanted to show me another spot where there is a hut for next time. He said “bring the rifle, you never know”………..

We got there following a 4 x 4 track and had a look at the little hut.

Mike went and had a look in the creek and found some fresh sign.

We then walked five minutes up the valley when we heard a little squeal (territory noise from a stag).

We climbed up onto the ledge above the creek and sat down for 10 minutes. We then stood up to move on slowly when Mike saw some

By Travis Pocock

antlers way up in the hills in between all the manuka. Good spotting Mike!

The stag saw us too and then decided to head up over the ridge line. We had no time to lose, I had to shoot while standing. I fired one shot and the stag kept climbing (nearly at the top), then I fired a second shot. It was a long way away and we did not hear a thump noise so we didn’t expect to find him when we went looking.

Sheryl stayed back and guided us to where we shot the stag. When we got to the area Mark said “here Travis, can you have a look in this area?” I went into the scrub and

gie Barry and more recently the new Minister of Conservation Eugene Sage believed in “the unachievable.”

Laurie Collins, who in his working career had first-hand experience of 1080 from its first use in New Zealand in 1958 and in later years, said the realization of the poison’s indiscriminate killing powers and slow cruel death to birds and animals compelled him to strongly oppose its use.

“But then 1080 is the tool for an ideologically driven impossible dream in Predator Free 2050. It is ecologically stupid and senseless,” he said.

He said the fact that kiore rat were introduced over 700 years ago and ship rats at least 200 years ago, showed the lack of responsible thinking by adherents of Predator Free 2050.

“If rats as predators were going to wipe out birds it’s logical they would have done so within 50 years. But as predator-prey relationships established, birds were abundant for centuries until a mere 30 years ago when the poison industry began,” he said.

Mr Hammond said the ICC is concerned with the conservation of animals across the globe and that it was appropriate the council was aware and supportive of what ICC were doing.

“We promote the conservation of animal species,” Mr Hammond said.

The council has spent time on projects like managing tahr according to the minutes, but it has also spent time questioning the scientific justification behind the use of 1080 - a flagship tool for DoC’s pest control.

Mr Hammond said any application of a toxin onto the environment should have some level of scientific justification, “the Game Animal Council is not opposed to the use of 1080 per se, but what we’re saying is that it should be used wisely.”

Peter Dunne who set up the Council said he was not surprised that Ms Sage is looking at the council’s future and that this government was always antagonistic towards the council.

Sage said the council’s future will be decided in the next few months. saw the stag lying down stone dead. I was so happy and amazed.

The guys looked back at Sheryl and said it was about 280 yards and about 30 degree angle. Luckily Mike had Sheryl’s pink pocket knife in his nice jacket pocket. We gutted it and dragged it all the way back to the Hilux. I got it home and now getting the head mounted to put on the wall for a great story to tell in years to come.

It was a great trip before this moment but to get the Stag in the last hour of the trip, was awesome!

It just goes to show that it’s not over until you actually leave the bush.

Once again, thanks to the guys and girls who invited me on this trip! I learnt a lot.

See photo on brag page

DoC’s lies about the threats and violence You’d be forgiven for thinking – if you believed New Zealand reporters that is – that there were genuine reasons for concern about potential threats from ‘activists’ fighting for a poison-free New Zealand - threats aimed at those responsible for the aerial poisoning operations. For instance, here are three examples of recent headlines: • “Police warn anti-1080 activists over ‘terrorism’, threats” (NZ Herald, 25 May 2018) • “Attacks on DoC Staff ‘more frequent and more acute’” (TVNZ 15 April 2018) • “Anti-1080 protesters slammed: Federated Farmers says “feral” anti-1080 activists are worse than the pests.”

(Otago Daily Times, 8 October 2016) Should we be worried about these ‘feral’ activists? Is the movement getting ‘out of control’?

But really - how many ‘threats’ to DoC do you think might have been made in the past 18 months or so?

50? 100? Maybe 200 or more if DoC are repeatedly articulating their criticism and their supposed anxiety about the ‘safety’ of their staff.

For instance, the guy ‘Neville’ (not his real name) who works at the

Wanganui 1080 poison factory, reported to have installed CCTV at home for his family’s protection…

How many threats?

Six. That’s right. An OIA revealed there have been exactly six cases of threats reported to NZ Police since March 2016.

And the details of these 6 cases?

In 2 incidents the perpetrator was apparently identified and ‘spoken to’ by Police.

3 cases were (anon?) phone calls, 1 was a ‘flyer’ left on a DoC vehicle.

None have progressed to prosecution.

So in fact, DoC’s lies about the threats and violence from any anti-1080 activists are clear. The Police’s attitude and strategy at the protests recently are unfounded. They just talk facts and show eye witness accounts of the cruelty to animals.

The protestors are passionate and peaceful. They want poison free uncontaminated land, water and kai.

DoC’s MO whenever people challenge them is this: they respond by calling them foul names; they ridicule them; they mock them; and they try to slander independent science. They

are witnessing their spin now in the face of rising awareness; they use the MSM to attack and twist facts; Doc fill their stories with hype and omit truth, creating distortions and illusions. Social media s full of their lies.

DoC are using the Monsanto effect because everything we see with this 1080 issue is exactly what we have seen with the exposure of Monsanto.

The reality is who is actually guilty of terrorism: DoC, Ospri and Epro.

If anything DoC are threatening every New Zealander every day as this poisoning has no regard for animals, birds, insects and of course human life, because someone could very easily die of poisoning from their reckless throwing around of 1080, it will be a sad day when it happens.

DoC. should be completely disbanded, from the top down. Starting with the Minister Eugenie Sage, Lou Sanson and all the hierarchy that preach and follow the pro 1080 mantra.

Re build from the ground up with hands on people who have had years of first-hand experience in the bush, and truly know how ecosystems work.

Not some academics, who have no practical experience.

1080 is a Teratogenic agent which causes approximately 7% of congenital malformations. A teratogenic agent is a chemical, infectious agent, physical condition, or deficiency that, on fetal exposure, can alter fetal morphology or subsequent function.

Teratogenicity depends upon the ability of the agent to cross the placenta. Certain medications such as heparin cannot cross the placenta due to its high molecular weight and are therefore not teratogenic.

The embryo is most susceptible to teratogenic agents during periods of rapid differentiation. The stage of development of the embryo determines susceptibility to teratogens.

The most critical period in the development of an embryo or in the growth of a particular organ is during the time of most rapid cell division.

The critical period for each organ is pictured below (Fig. 23-2). For instance, the critical period for brain growth and development is from

Impossumable

This table is from a 2004 Landcare study on possum diet. Look carefully, not one trace of an egg or chick, and yes it covered all seasons.

One of the things the government have told us and shown us in staged photos is that possums eat native birds and birds eggs.

But if you dig a little deeper such as the info in this 2004 Landcare Research table from their study on possum diet, you see that a possum’s diet does not even have 1% bird or egg in it.

So we have been fed a load of bollocks in order to steal our taxpayer’s money

for mass poisoning programmes.

Add this to MP Richard Prosser’s former NZ First’s revelations about the lack of TB in possums, that we are already Officially TBFree (below 0.04% of herds), that stock immunity or lack thereof from excessive herbicide use is also a major contributing factor to TB incidence (USA Centers for Disease Control) and that farmers were responsible for spreading TB on a com-

three to 16 weeks. However the brain’s differentiation continues to extend into infancy. Teratogens can produce mental retardation during both embryonic and fetal periods This interesting quirk of biochemistry is the key to 1080’s extreme toxicity because citric acid is important in the generation of energy in cells. To initiate the energy generation process, citric acid is converted by an enzyme to a slightly different molecule (aconitic acid) that is converted to something else which is converted to something else and so on, eventually leading back to citric acid. mercial transport scale until they had proper movement control, then you can see that the entire 1080 poisoning programme is one massive rip-off of farmers and taxpayers in general.

According to Natureland possums prefer eating chicks and eggs which when you thing about is doesn’t hold any merit whatsoever. It’s just more propaganda to win the hearts of bird lovers.

So what is the purpose to keep spreading the 1080? Who really gains from this agenda?

That is the big question.

Orillion shareholders are Dairy NZ, Beef and Lamb NZ and the Venison Industry. When you consider that recreational hunters feed their families with an estimated one billion worth of game met it doesn’t take long to work out their ulterior motive.

DoC’s and the governments hidden agenda for the long term game strategy is to deplete the conservation value of the land so there is less resistance to exploiting the mineral wealth beneath.

The uptake to plants from one pallet yields 5ppb in plant samples at 7 days. Harm to the unborn child from 1080 starts at PPT which we do not even test down to.

We are unaware of any research on the effects this will be having on browsers that we harvest for our Kai. But it is clear that this is a near death experience generator now and we need to fight a lot harder to get rid of it before it renders us all including kids and grandkids, infertile.

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DoC – killing our insects and organisms DoC says on its website that 1080 poison is safe and doesn’t kill microorganisms, bugs and insects that our soils need to thrive.

According to ERMA this is a complete fabrication and distortion of the truth.

1080 acts by blocking respiration within cell mitochondria, so it is harmful to a very broad range of organisms including bacteria, fungi, plants, nematodes, insects, birds, mammals (ERMA Review 2007) and snails (Fairweather et al. 2015).

Sub-lethal effects include damage to reproductive structures, birth defects and organ damage (Eason et al. 2000) and can be cumulative (Eisler 1995). Toxic effects may possibly occur at concentrations too

low to detect with any validated analytical methods (USEPA 1988).

The toxin has a marked ability to spread, readily contaminating experimental controls and moving within food chains, for example aphids on broad bean plants all died when the roots were immersed in 0.00005% 1080 culture solution (ERMA Review 2007, Evaluation and Review Report [ERR] p. 427).

Contaminated dust from aeriallydistributed cereal baits was found at a test site 1 km away, 5 days after a 1080 poisoning operation (ERMA Review 2007, ERR p. 477).

1080 is known to spread in flying and crawling insects, urine, blood, faeces, carcasses (ERMA Review 2007), and bait carried

1080 in water

It does dissolve in water, but it remains in the water.

In a distilled water aquarium without

biota, 1080 residues declined only 16% in 170 h (Eason et al. 1993b). In another study, 1080 solutions prepared in distilled water and stored at room temperature for 10 years showed no significant breakdown; moreover, solutions of 1080 prepared in stagnant algal-laden water did not lose biocidal properties during 12 months (McIlroy 1981a).

Eisler’s Encyclopedia of Environmentally Hazardous Priority Chemicals https://books.google.co.nz/ books?isbn=0080547079 Ronald Eisler - 2007 - ‎Technology & Engineering ... black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes). Commercial 1080 was commonly colored with 0.5% nigrosine and sold as a compound containing >90% sodium monofluoroacetate, to be mixed with foods at 2226.0mg/kg in preparing baits, or dissolved in water at 3756.0 mg/L for poisoning drinking water in indoor control of rodents.

Sodium fluoroacetate, known in pesticide form as 1080, is the organofluorine chemical compound with the formula FCH2CO2Na. This colourless salt has a taste similar to that of sodium chloride and is used as a metabolic poison.

This interesting quirk of biochemistry is the key to 1080’s extreme toxicity because citric acid is important in the generation of energy in cells.

To initiate the energy generation

government has a fiduciary duty to its constituents - a duty of care.

Niwa have been running around around by birds (AHB 2007, p. 39). doing water tests but Niwa are In water, 1080 is highly soluble and contracted to the government mobile (Fairweather et al. 2015), to do this – if anything is found and very stable in sterile conditions and the scientists speak up they (ERMA Review 2007, ERR p. 439). will lose their jobs. It’s all hush (PDF) Aerial 1080 poi- hush and everything is okay. soning in New Zealand: The only way that DoC has been Available from: https://www.re- able to drop 1080 on public land searchgate.net/.../308712508_Aerial_1080...[accessed Jul 29 2018].

Ecan in Canterbury are reportedly killing local bees by spraying the Rakaia River braids with glyphosate Needs Scrutiny with an organosilicone surfactant. Poisoners New Zealand’s EPA advises us A Fiordland aerial 1080 poisonnot to spray glyphosate near wa- ing drop by TBFree NZ needs ter ways (toxic to fish and frogs) close scrutiny as to its purpose The organosilicone surfactant and justification says the Sportis more toxic than glyphosate ing Hunters Outdoor Trust. and has been proven to kill bees. The aerial poison drop is being carried out by TBFree NZ, an arm of OSPRI formerly the Animal Health Board, who aim to eradicate bovine TB and blame possums for the transmitting the disease.

However, informed sources say monitoring of possums in the Hope River catchment of the proposed poison drop area, showed virtually no possums in the area.

But recent reports indicated the drop would still proceed despite the absence of possums.

“Indeed further information is that even monitor researchers were puz zled as to the justification and reason for the drop, especially since TBFree NZ’s claim that possums spread bovine TB is simply pretence,” he said.

Word also was that the Department of Conservation in the light

The biggest concern from citizens that were completely against the drop was the people’s water supply.

Drinking water is contaminated in a number of ways during a 1080 drop - through baits being dropped directly into streams, from poisoned animal carcasses decomposing

almost everything DoC, Ospri and Epro says and publishes is cause to warrant a review.

The only justification that DoC use is economics reasons and that they only do it in remote in accessible areas.

Local hapu are battling for an organic Tokaanu. Unfortunately the bureaucrats are not listening to them.

Hidden Agenda” of 1080

NZ First MP Richard Prosser to the then Minister of Agriculture that extensive autopsies of 9800 possums of almost zero numbers of possums showed nil TB. Possums are not the considered cancelling the poison- imagined Tb spreaders which give ing but then relented saying even no reason for OSPRI’s existence.” though there were no possums Laurie Collins said other sources there, it was too late to stop the indicated that the Department of drop. Laurie Collins described DoC’s Conservation’s hidden agenda was attitude as “weak and pathetic”. to eliminate deer on public lands.

The OSPRI fact sheet issued “If so then it’s simply a crazed ideobefore the drop said the poi- logical obsession which has no son was for possums and rats. conservation reason as deer were “Since there are no possums now it browsers of vegetation just as the is only for rats,” said Laurie Collins.” now extinct moa had been for But the poison drop is being done millions of years,” he said. “Underby OSPRI who are concerned only standably SHOT is very concerned with bovine Tb. Questions about about wild deer being poisoned this ridiculous spending of tax- and suffering over a slow 48 hour payer and farmers’ money need to agony to death, not to mention be answered. Are OSPRI now pre- lack of reason and shocking waste tending rats transmit bovine Tb? of protein. But we’re equally conWhy are OSPRI dropping 1080 in an cerned at the ecosystem damage area that has no farms? Shouldn’t to other creatures from vital infarmers be asking hard questions?” sects and invertebrates to birds.”

Laurie Collins said a frequently asked Laurie Collins said both the Minquestion was about the purpose of isters of Conservation and En1080 drops when pre-poison moni- vironment needed to ask hard toring showed low or zero numbers. questions since millions of dollars “Besides OSPRI and DoC know from of public money were involved. questions in Parliament in 2016 by

Groundswell Rising Against 1080

process, citric acid is converted by an enzyme to a slightly different molecule (aconitic acid) that is converted to something else which is converted to something else and so on, eventually leading back to citric acid.

1080 exclusion zones a lie Ospri, Epro and DoC’s promises to put exclusion zones around rivers and stream where 1080 is to be dropped in a lie.

Recently they have conducted a planned drop around Turangi/ Tokaanu in the Pihanga/Kakaramea area, south of Lake Taupo.

is because they have gone in the backdoor and paid Maori Trustees backhanders, taking them on as advisers to get the sign off.

This is against the wishes of hapu and a direct breach of the Treaty of Waitangi. In many cases hapu are now getting rid of these corrupt Maori trustees.

Surely with the amount of science and evidence that refutes

11

in waterways, and through 1080 dust landing on house roofs, and being transferred to water tanks.

It was confirmed by Ospri that poison bait will be spread across streams, and that residents within 3km of the poisoned boundaries are entitled to an alternative water supply if they request it - noted in Conditions 25-30 of the Public Health Unit (PHU) Permission to drop 1080.

However, there’s a catch. You have to know about it to request it.

The vast majority of people drawing water directly from streams are “unregistered water takes.” These people will probably not be told to disconnect their water on the day of the poison drop, nor will they be offered an alternative water supply for the following weeks after the drop.

Only registered water takes are notified of the exact 1080 application time-frames.

The Safety Data Sheet for 1080 and the manufacturer’s label states that pest contractors should (1) avoid contamination of water, and (2) remove or bury poisoned carcasses. Neither of these requirements happens.

Every council, public health unit and Worksafe, should ensure all residents have access to safe drinking water. They should also require that Landcare Research protocols are followed, including water testing 8 hours after the application of poison bait.

Under the RMA, people are not required to register their water take.

It would be good if they did, but it’s not legally required. The council and

New Zealanders disgusted at the lies and deceit published by DoC, Ospri and Epro are invited to join the Hikoi of a Poisoned Nation. The march to protest against the continued poisoning of New Zealand at Parliament on September 8th and at Aotea Square in Auckland around 1 pm.

The Department of Conservation (DoC) has been poisoning the country with sodium fluoroacetate (1080) for decades, and deceitfully spinning the usual PR rubbish to make their plot seem feasible.

Yet it has had little impact on reducing the number of rats, stoats and ferrets which quickly recover after drops. However it has killed hundreds, if not thousands, of native birds as well as ravaging the insects they feed on.

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Possums have also been targeted because some organisations fraudulently believe it spreads Tb to cattle. However, as Ministry of Agriculture data shows, the country has been virtually Tb-free for many years – well under the world standard.

Dogs, cattle, pigs, fish, deer and possibly a few people have also died, and the deaths have been painful and slow.

The campaign for 50+ years has been destructive and an enormous waste of taxpayers’ money. The country is showing that it has had enough.

The Hikoi started in Bluff and Cape Reinga several weeks ago and both parties will merge on September 8th.

In recent years the main-

stream media has been seemingly frightened to analyse the subject. But that is changing.

Television, The Otago Daily Times and Stuff have been reporting on the issue and the sky hasn’t fallen in. The recent dumping of surplus bags of 1080 on Stewart Island, and the running down of a 1080 protestor earlier this month, in South Westland have been widely covered.

The destination is Parliament and Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, has promised to address the marchers.

A New OPERATION BAN 1080 facebook page hit just over 70,000 members in just over six weeks and a gain of over 2,500 members in the last 24 hours alone.

The government and its Conservation Department need to listen and stop poisoning the nation. This vile and cruel method for killing pests is inhumane and a cowardly action by people that should know better.

It is against the will of the majority of people and the SPCA.

12

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The tide is turning Many Maori and hapu around New Zealand have had a gutsful of DoC and Ospri’s blatant lies and deception.

They are ousting those Maori that have been found to receive bribes from DoC and Ospri as they have found that their traditional food and medicine gathering areas covered in 1080.

DoC and Ospri have been visiting Maraes and getting the cold shoulder.

Hundreds of Maori are supporting the Hikoi of a Poisoned Nation as their voice for the cruel and destructive damage being carried out, all in the name of supposedly protecting our native birds.

Yet more and more we see native bird numbers dropping as DoC deny empathically the appalling numbers of native bird deaths.

DoC refuses to have autopsies done or to pick up native birds found dead on private property. Their lame excuses are mind boggling.

It would appear that this country has to go through the same damage to the environment as we saw when DDT was supported by government, yet found to be another heineous poison.

The lies and support of 1080 poisoning by the Green Party, Forest and Bird along with Sage must never be forgotten as her denial of the science

proving beyond doubt that 1080 is killing our native species should be marked against them forever.

When DoC and Ospri have to pay Maori as advisers so they can get access to Maori land then kill the wild game that Maori families utilise to feed their families – something drastic is wrong.

The Green Party, Forest and Bird, DoC, NZ Dairy, Beef and Lamb NZ and the Venison Industry are a disgrace to New Zealand’s environment. It seems quite evident that the resource management act is an ineffective tool to protect our resources. It is geared up in a way that puts economic gain above environmental impact. That’s not right in my book.

ENVIRONMENT, PEOPLE, ECONOMY.

The Green Parties broken promises The Green Party policy promises that they will protect New Zealand’s wild places and the unique animals and plants that live there.

Yet they increase the amount of 1080 aerial dropping which kills our kiwi, our albatross, and our mountain kea which are amongst some of the greatest living treasures on earth and shape our national identity.

But not only are our iconic birds and wildlife in serious trouble as more than 3,000 species are at risk of extinction.

The Green Party says they will properly fund DOC to protect nature and ensure our birds and wildlife thrive and flourish.

So with the increased use of 1080 which as a by-kill to pest eradication decimates our native birds how the dickens will they sup-

port DoC’s conservation practices of death and destruction?

They say that caring for nature also creates worthwhile jobs for New Zealanders, by looking after our natural environment, water, soil, air, and food resources.

Greens say that The their key principles are: New Zealand’s indigenous plants, animals and ecosystems must be protected.

Community enthusiasm for protecting Aotearoa New Zealand’s indigenous plants, animals and ecosystems will be fostered.

Support must be given to whānau and hapū in carrying out kaitiaki responsibilities in conservation management.

The health of natural areas must not be compromised by economic activity.

There are so many holes in this that you could drive truck laden with 1080 poison through it.

How can you promise one thing regarding the protection of our native species yet allow a government department which they now control to kill, and maim every living creature.

The Greens promise to ‘Protect Threatened Indigenous Species’ is a complete joke and they must be held to account during the next elections. Labour and NZ First must also bear the brunt of this along with the Greens as they sit idley by and let the Green Party blatantly destroy our native birds.

A sure fired way to severely damage our largest industry - tourism and reduce our high tourist numbers is to introduce a levy on overseas visitors to help fund pest control work.

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BUSTING A FEW MYTHS

Kevin Sharp MD | Evinrude New Zealand

We listen and we smile. “Two-strokes” they say. “No mate, they’re dirty, old technology and use more fuel.” We listen and we smile, when independent test results quietly prove the opposite time and time again. We listen and we smile when we set the trend and others follow. We listen and we smile

when buyers do their own research without being influenced by a desperate sales-person and make an informed decision to purchase an E-TEC. We bust the myth with every sale.

Here are a few for you to chew on…

Clean Energy: BRP, through its Evin-

New dolphin app More concerns have been raised over the government’s failure to meet election promises for protection of the endangered Hector’s dolphins and critically endangered Māui dolphins. This follows the release of new data that shows how active the dolphins are around the top of the South Island.

In the 2017 election, the government made manifesto promises to protect them, but has done very little since.

There are fewer than 60 Māui dolphins left, and the Hector’s

population is down to just 20% of its former size, with set-netting and trawls in coastal regions killing these dolphins at a rate that could see them wiped out forever.

Woefully inadequate protected areas for the dolphins were designated in 2008 but did not include the highly important Cook Strait and Taranaki Bight areas.

Lack of data cited as the reason.

Now, data collected by the Hector’s Dolphin Sightings App, shows a five-fold increase in sighting records for Hector’s dolphins around

rude brand, was the first and only outboard engine manufacturer ever to receive the EPA’s Clean Air Technology Excellence Award. In short E-TEC’s are the cleanest outboards on the planet.

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the top of the South Island. This indicates the top of the South is an important habitat for Hector’s dolphins and should be protected from set nets and trawling. The Hector’s dolphin sighting database has jumped from 45 to 227 sighting events around the top of the South, since the app was launched less than two years ago, in partnership with WDC and the Department of Conservation (DOC).

People have been encouraged to download the app and record their sightings of Hector’s, Māui dolphins, and other species, and upload images to help species identification.

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Forest and Bird’s 1080 Flip-Flop Forest and Bird, currently vehement supporters of aerial 1080 poison drops, have done a complete U turn over poisons says a recreational hunters’ body. Laurie Collins spokesman for the Sporting Hunters Outdoor Trust says in the mid-1990s Forest and Bird were publicly expressing grave concerns about 1080 killing bird life.

A newspaper cutting from “Rural News” July 5, 1993 showed the Forest and Bird Society were deeply concerned at the “uncontrolled dropping of 1080” on public lands.

The cutting read:-“The Forest and Bird Society fears that 1080 poison drops may threaten the survival of kaka, kakariki (parakeets), native bats and the already dwindling kokako. Urgent DOC trials at Kapiti Island showed a kaka consumed enough coloured bait to kill it. The Society wants further scientific research done into the effects of 1080 poison drops on native bird life and a ban on the use of 1080 baits in areas inhabited by rare and dwindling species.

Forest and Bird now believes that no air drops of either pollard or car-

Coastguard evening Kev and Ian’s Marine are holding an information evening at 18 Ma-

rots should go ahead in kaka areas and there should be in future, a ban on 1080 in National Park areas. The uncontrolled dropping of 1080 in our forests is a threat to our endangered species. More research must be done. Please stop this practice.”

Laurie Collins said Forest and Bird’s strong message on a ban on 1080 was exactly what a growing and large number of New Zealanders were saying in 2018.

But he said the U turn by the society to today’s blind support of 1080 drops by the Department of Conservation and OSPRI (formerly Animal Health Board) was startling, puzzling and raised questions.

“What compelled Forest and Bird to change 180 degrees? Did DoC persuade by whatever means, a complete flip-flop? Why is Forest and Bird sacrificing its belief of 1993? It seems Forest and Bird’s right hand side of the mouth doesn’t know what its left hand side is saying.”

He questioned what the rank and file of Forest and Bird think of the abrupt change in stance towards poisons.

“Surely sensible people within the society are concerned about

hia Drive Manurewa at 5.30 pm on Wednesday, September 19th Sue tucker (the Coastguard ambassador and lifejacket lady) will be launching the Coastguards new

1080’s ecosystem poison properties and are puzzled by the society’s change of stance?”

Laurie Collins said the society’s 1993 concern over 1080 should have deepened as just 12 months later “Rural News” was running an exposure of a skilled scientist the late Mike Meads, warning of long-term ecosystem damage following aerial 1080 drops at Whitecliffs in Taranaki.

“Following Mike Meads conclusions, DoC buried Mike Meads’ work and then shunned the scientist.

That should have had Forest and Bird angry at the lack of integrity by the department. Instead Forest and Bird became silent and fell into line with DoC. Why?” he said.

Laurie Collins said scientific evidence against 1080 in the last 10 years had mounted with such research as showing rat numbers exploded after 1080, kea losses from 1080 were high and possums hd been wrongly blamed for bovine Tb outbreaks.

“So Forest and Bird cannot say science work since made it change its mind,” he added.

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13

DoC Killing and Starving Coromandel Kiwi Comments from the Department of Conservation’s Threatened Species Ambassador Nicola Toki that dogs are to blame for the decline in kiwi numbers on the Coromandel Peninsula denies the real cause says the Sporting Hunters’ Outdoor Trust.

The trust’s spokesman Laurie Collins of West Coast said Nicola Toki on TV One’s breakfast show blamed dogs but failed to mention that the ecosystem poison 1080 had been dropped over most of the Coromandel by the Department of Conservation.”

“Nicola Toki doesn’t seem to understand or perhaps even know that 1080 was developed in the 1920s as an insecticide,” he said. “It therefore kills invertebrates such as worms and cicada larvae which form a major part of the kiwi’s food.

Diminish the food supply and you diminish the number of kiwi. It’s so basic. Our national icon is being both killed and starved to death.”

Laurie Collins said kiwi lived in a range of habitats, from mountain slopes to exotic pine forests, and kiwi diet could vary.

“However most of their food is invertebrates particularly native worms.

Luckily for kiwi, New Zealand is rich in worms, with 178 native species.

Cicada larva are favoured too. But since 1080 is an insecticide it will understandably severely reduce cicada and larva worm numbers.”

It had been acknowledged that the kiwi’s diet was closely related to its breeding success as the birds needed to build up large reserves to get through the breeding season.

While the occasional “rogue” dog or household pet taken for a walk might savage a kiwi, far greater kiwi losses were likely to occur from kiwi ingesting 1080 and more particularly from poor breeding due to depleted food supply lessened by 1080 killing invertebrate kiwi food sources.

Laurie Collins said the research was there but DoC ignored it because its obsession with spreading 1080 from the Government’s SOE supplying the poison.

In the mid-1990s government entomologist scientist Mike Meads predicted that “continued 1080 airdrops over New Zealand forests would destroy much of the food supply of ground eating birds like the kiwi.”

Mike Meads warned that because 1080 wipes out many leaf-consuming insects and micro-organisms, the litter fails to properly decompose and builds up at an alarming rate.

He was quoted as saying there was already an amazing leaf build-up in some lowland forests because without the organisms, after 1080 aerial drops, the leaf litter was not decomposing. Complicating the matter was the unusually long life cycle of many forest invertebrates, e.g. cicada has a 17 year life cycle, weta two years. One air drop of 1080 can wipe out 17 generations of cicada larvae and they and wetas were important in the kiwi’s diet.

Mike Meads warned “widespread aerial distribution can only have serious long term effects on forests and forest life with enormous risk of destroying the ecosystem.”

“But DoC did not want to know that so they pilloried Mike Meads, and dumped his research,’ said Laurie Collins. “Since 1994 and Mike Meads work, the kiwi and its food supply have suffered numerous poison drops.”

DoC still killing Stewart Island Kiwi

An ambitious programme by DoC to eradicate marram grass from the dune systems is underway at Mason Bay, Rakiura National Park.

Originally from Europe, marram is a vigorous invasive grass and historically it was planted throughout much of New Zealand for farming purposes and to stabiles dune systems.

However according to DoC marram creates issues within the dune system by overtopping native plants and reducing habitat for native birds and insects.

DoC have been spraying marram grass at Masons Bay on Stewart Island over the last several years.

According to residents at Masons Bay the poison is killing insects which in turn kills kiwi through secondary poisoning.

The sand dunes at Masons Bay are the home of banded dotterels and kiwi.

However DoC in its infinite wisdom sees chemical treatment to be the most cost-effective method of control rather than the good of the environment.

Scientific research shows however that Gallant has biological impacts and may be politically unacceptable.

Mike Hilton of Otago University’s Geography Department calculated that if marram wasn’t controlled at Masons Bay it would occupy all available habitat in the dune system by the year 2030. Marram would displace pinOne resident said: “You could gao, sea spurge, Gunnera hamilcount 100 dotterels at Ma- tonii and other native plant spesons now there is only a few.” cies found throughout the dunes.

Having been there a lot of times I DoC Stewart Island has been conhave also noticed a decline in kiwi as trolling marram at Masons Bay for the bush regenerated on what was over 15 years. In a joint venture once farmed. Kiwi prefer open bush. with Otago University students DoC have been using ‘Gallant’ or and staff monitor the impact of Haloxyfop-P methyl ester which is a removal of marram on the dune herbicide used for selective control system, undertake herbicide trials of grass weeds in crop and non-crop to ensure that the most approprisituations. This is sprayed onto the ate method and herbicide is used dunes to kill the invasive grasses. and look at dune morphology.

According to the Product Safety As- DoC says the results are impressive sessment: sheet Haloxyfop-P methyl and the choking cloak of sageester is highly toxic to aquatic organ- green marram is being gradually isms on an acute basis and slightly drawn back to reveal creamy white toxic to some birds and acutely tox- dunes topped with a crest of golden ic to insects, quail and honeybees. pingao. However the team needs to In overseas environments conser- keep controlling the plants to prevationists have hand pulled the vent reinvasion into cleared areas. grasses in order to protect the en- They have no data on the vironment, insects, and bird life number of kiwi or dotterels and have refused to use the poison. killed by the use of chemicals.

Firefighting foam linked to eels Eels in two South Taranaki streams have been found to have elevated levels of chemicals associated with firefighting foam – the only finding of note in a wide-ranging regional investigation into any such contamination.

The potential long-term effects of these chemicals on human health are unclear and the subject of ongoing research. The Taranaki Regional Council has referred its findings to the Ministry for Primary Industries for food safety advice.

The two streams, the Oaonui and the much shorter Ngapirau, are relatively inaccessible.

The chemicals are from a category known as PFAS, which have been used as constituents of firefighting foam. They are also widely used in or on everyday items such as furniture and carpets, cooking equipment and food storage containers.

New Zealand has no standards for PFAS chemicals in foodstuffs.

The Council’s Director-Environment Quality, Gary Bedford, says the Council decided to begin an investigation after environmental PFAS contamination was found in other regions earlier this year.

The firefighting foam was formulated for use on hydrocarbon fires in particular, and the Council focused on sites where it had been stored. In most cases, the companies involved were doing their own checks and investigations.

Elevated levels of PFAS has also been found in groundwater at five sites: New Plymouth airport, the Paritūtū tank farm, the Omata tank farm, and the Māui Production Station and adjacent Hot Fire Training Facility at Oaonui. In each case, the groundwater is not known to be used to supply water for human or stock

consumption, so there are no direct pathways for human health risk.

Very low levels of PFAS were found in samples of watercress from the Oaonui and Ngapirau Streams.

No PFAS chemicals were found in a control sample taken from a tributary of the Waingongoro River.

“It’s important to note that PFAS chemicals have been widely used in a range of consumer and industrial products,” says Mr Bedford. “People are exposed to small amounts of some PFAS in everyday life, through food, dust, air, water and contact with products that contain these compounds.”

He says the Council is continuing to work with the community and companies involved in environmental investigations and keeping stakeholders informed.

14

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OSPRI – An Empire Built on a Fallacy?

A Wairarapa conservationist has age over the last nine years. It is so challenged the role of OSPRI (for- far below that required by world mer Animal Health Board and now standards for a Tb free declaration Operational Solutions for Primary – that New Zealand must be one of Industries)) saying it was founded the world’s most Tb free countries”. on a false belief and is a parasite on Bill Benfield said it raised the quesfarmers and the tax-paying public. tion whether OSPRI had a continuing The late Bill Benfield, author and role in New Zealand’s agriculture? conservationist, said New Zealand Instead of celebrating New Zeahad wrongly built up a pest man- land’s Tb-free status, OSPRI reagement industry based on the mained in denial and state their w.fishingoutdoors.org – and advertise online with eradication us false belief that possum spread aim was total of Tb bovine Tb. That fallacy was ex- and publicly advising they have posed in the House by Minister of achieved further funding from the Primary Industries Nathan Guy on Minister of Primary Industries. More 12/6/2015, when he advised New cynically, said Bill Benfield it was Zealand First MP Richard Prosser probable OSPRI want to preserve as follows :-the scientific uncer- its existence and jobs, funded for tainties associated with determin- by taxpayers and farmer levies? ing the source of infection at the “If that is their ploy, I think sooner or individual animal level and the re- later, farmers and taxpayers and the source required to do so mean that Minister of Primary Industries are goit is not considered an efficient use ing to see through this charade and of time and resources to routinely want it stopped,” said Bill Benfield. make such a determination.” i.e. The operation of OSPRI was being There is no epidemiological evi- run by a company with a multimildence linking possum to Tb in cat- lion dollar turnover, based upon tle, and OSPRI is not looking for it! a simple assumption, that Tb inHe said fallacies had continued to be fected possum spread Tb to cattle. spawned by bureaucrats and spun “Even from the first discovery of out to the public in press releases Tb in possum near Westport in that were “simply propaganda.” the late 1960s, no-one ever seems “New Zealand is Tb free by to have questioned whether the world yardsticks but even to- possum infected cattle, or cattle day OSPRI spins the line about infected the possum, the default the bovine Tb threat,” he said. position has always been that it Bill Benfield explained the world is possum that have infected the standard for a country to declare cattle. What probably began as “Tb free” is 0.2% for Tb infected a few civil servants getting some herds and 0.1% for infected cattle. money from the then Ministry of “Information obtained by former Agriculture slowly morphed over NZ First MP Richard Prosser showed time into a part of a growth proNew Zealand rates of Tb infection in gram in the ministries bureaucracy.” cattle were slight, i.e. 0.0019% aver- This changed in 1993, when the

Animal Health Board (AHB) was created. It was set up as an Incorporated Society whose primary function was to carry out the National Pest Management Plan (NPMP) for bovine Tb using powers granted it by the 1993 Bio-Security Act. By the later part of its existence, it was being funded to the tune of around $80 million a year, made up from farmer levies, taxpayer and ratepayer contributions.

Questions in Parliament by NZ First MP Richard Prosser to Minister of Primary Industries Nathan Guy revealed possums have negligible - virtually zero - infection rates. Of 9830 possums autopsied last year, none had Tb. Bill Benfield said OSPRI was still conducting Email campaigns claiming that nearly half of all Tb infections in cattle are caused by possum.

He lodged a complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) about false advertising by OSPRI. The complaint initially failed by a majority decision, but was upheld on appeal OSPRI’s claim that possum are a significant cause of Tb in cattle has been disallowed. However it was not enforceable in law and OSPRI was continuing to make their claims and have arrogantly said they would continue to do so.

Bill Benfield said the more he researched detail, the more bizarre the deception became.

“In the preparation of the appeal, it was also discovered that OSPRI’s science provider, Landcare Research, has for years been liberating large numbers of deliberately infected possum in the wild,” he said.

visittousa onpayers facebook In any case total eradication and farmer levies?” he said. zero incidence of disease is impos- Ed: This article cuts to the core ... sible. For that reason the World the DoC rationalizes the use of 1080 Organisation for Animal Health, an based on the need to eliminate affiliate to the UN, sets the world possums, which had been alleged standard for a country to declare of carrying TB, thus a threat to the “Tb free” at 0.2% for Tb infected almighty dairy industry. Well, the herds and 0.1% for infected cattle. big secret that DoC doesn’t want “What zero means is the impossible us to know is that are few posdream. It is like “infinity” – where is sums left and there is low to no TB infinity? Where is zero? Like infin- is being found. Yet, the 1080 drops ity, how do know you’ve reached it? continue! Even more disturbing Do you have to go on forever, even is that the regular testing of the after 2055, seeking a holy grail of dairy herd is already showing a TB zero, which is what OSPRI spokes- level far lower than the world standpersons want. More cynically, OSPRI ard for having a TB declaration! wants jobs for years, paid for by tax- A quick recap ... 1080 is not need-

ed for controlling the spread of TB as there barely is any. And as for the evil rats, it doesn’t even work. So, why are they threatening us, their gorgeous trout, the insects, the birds, the water and food that everyone eats by dumping tens of millions of it on the land? Ah, the smell of money ...;.

Ospri states that there are still around 32 infected herds and a number of areas around the country where there is TB infected wildlife.

But fails to mention why they are still targeting areas where there is no TB and few possums.

The rain was pouring down. There standing in front of a big puddle outside the pub was an old Irishman, drenched, holding a stick, with a piece of string dangling in the water.

A passer-by stopped and asked, “What are you doing?”

“Fishing” replied the old man.

Feeling sorry for the feeble old man, the gent says, “Come in out of the rain and have a drink with me.”

In the warmth of the pub, as they sip their whiskies, the gentleman, being a bit of a smart aleck, cannot resist asking, “So how many have you caught today?”

“You’re the eighth”, says the old man

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TURANGI AERIAL 1080 DROP

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The Ngati Tuwharetoa Trust Board backed 1080 dropping which is disgraceful and “Dirty politics.”

Are the “full and informed consents” of the beneficiaries, obtained from all or is information it hidden in tricky little amendments.

15

Full disclosure might constitute an aspect of fraud, hence rendering every part of a trust contract absolutely void?

Another interesting fact is that under the Maori Trust Board Act 1955, all Maori Trust Boards are bound to

the Minister of Conservation who acts as the Queen of Right, the Minister also has Executive authority over all the lands, another disturbing fact is on the 1st of July every year the Maori Trust Boards receive 1.5 million dollars from the Crown (NZ).

King Country Bushmen who had the contract to clear fell Fletchers old logging blocks at Opawa.

This was inland from Hatepe on the Turangi to Taupo road. This work was needed as the land was being cleared to enable the

NZFS to plant pine trees to establish a forest for the Maori owners.

This forest was the Lake Taupo forest.

My uncle and I also logged the last cut over native block for the NZFS out of Turangi. This was the Waione block at Pukepoto. At this stage we had our own machinery and logging truck which I used to drive.

I had to finish working in the bush due to an old injury catching up with me. I now work as a historian and trustee for the New Zealand Timber Museum at Putaruru on a volunteer basis. I have done a book for the museum on GMC log trucks, and am working on one on steam log haulers.

I also write for the New Zealand Logger magazine on mainly articles of a historical nature on native bush working, sawmills and machinery. I still live in the King Country in one of Weir and Kenny’s old sawmill houses.

We have no power only a generator but prefer the remoteness and peace and quiet.

Trevor Coker – bushman/hunter

Have the Crown got resource consent to be dropping poison in a native wetland.

Ngati Tuwharetoa and Taiao Kaitiaki, beneficial land owner, Mr Seymour says, “stricter regulations must be followed and complied to, during 1080 toxin poison aerial applications, regarding Maori Land, we must ensure all ecosystems are protected and collateral damage must be avoided. We do

Fishing out 1080 toxin poison pellets in the water systems belonging to the famous customary Koura swamps of the Waione.

not have the resource to fish out every 1080 toxin poison pellets that fall into our water habitats.”

The Turangi operations happened recently and Epro Ltd, Taupo, were the contractor for the drop.

“By the spacing of the 1080 baits it looked like the Epro crew misread the fine print and dropped at the rate of twenty kgs per ha, not two! Said Mr Seymour.”

Top of Form From all accounts it appears that they 1080 poisoned the whole forest which was not meant to have poison dropped on it and the block they were meant to do is just 60 ha of the total.

“On our block the supervisor told us that our block was not to be 1080’d and there should be no 1080”, said Mt Seymour. “This block is owned by my family and all Maori they are managed by an independent company and the trustees are the ones that went through with drop regardless of what the beneficiaries said.”

Mr Seymour also said, when they were children with Dad, “we used to walk around with shovels, along all the roads and grass clearings, where deer feed and pick all the 1080 toxin poison pellets up and bury them.

I guess old habits never change.”

But the trust approves the drops, has

anybody ever asked Ngati Tuwharetoa why when their own people don’t want it they just ignore them and go ahead anyway. Personally I think only Maori can stop the poison drops but the Trusts are not onside.

The leasee of these lands is Crown Forestry Ltd who MPI owns, and the Trustees will not listen to the beneficiaries or Beneficial Owners.

In trust law the Trustees are the Legal Owners.

The Crown has put loopholes in the Trust Orders and Trust Deeds regarding the leases, called express limitations or restrictions imposed by the Court, which removes the property rights of beneficiaries.

The public need educating to make applications to the Court to improve the Trust Orders and Trust Deeds, by giving beneficiaries protection, this in hand will confer the power upon the people to replace or remove the express limitations or restrictions.

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Trevor Coker - bushman and benji

I am now retired and used to work as a bushman, and a logging contractor in native mainly in the King Country area.

I was the original contractor along with my uncle James Ham who came from a family of well-known

A Hot Long Drop With a native sawmill running the usual set up of large twin breaking down saws water was played over the saws when they were cutting. This served two purposes, it keep the saws cool and carried away the sawdust along a wooden flume normally to the nearest gully.

One King Country mill owner went one step further and had the mills long drop built over the flume. While using the said little building one morning the mill owners son thought it would be a good idea to float a piece of dry slab down the flume.

On the slab he put a kerosene soaked piece of cotton waste and set it on fire. As it passed under the long drop there was a large bellow and the mill owner leapt off the throne and smashed the door clean off its leather belt hinges and then fell over entangled in his long johns and trousers.

The son took off for the bush and sneaked back at night time to see what he could find to eat in the cookhouse and took care to stay out of his father’s way until relations had improved between them.

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Tongariro River enhancement update

The remarkable revealing feature of this image is the appalling state of the lower Tongariro River

The Tongariro River is regarded fishermen than DOC, but even as one of the most pristine trout they still have to be informed. fishing rivers in the world and If the WRC are genuine in their deanglers flock here at various sire to do things right by all contimes of the year in their droves. cerned, they would advertise these The town relies on the income meetings more in advance and from these visitors for its survival. contact more clubs and anglers Alan Kirk from the Waikato Re- outside of Turangi. They have been gional Council displayed an air of given access to a contacts dataself-importance without even hav- base but appear reluctant to use it. ing the courtesy of introducing In one breath Alan Kirk acknowlhimself and appeared reluctant edged the need to work with to address the concerns of land- fishers and landowners on their owners and fishermen at a recent concerns on required river work meeting to discuss river enhance- during early spawning runs but ment work planned for next year. then indicated the Council could The pathetic consultation process do what it wanted under their manonly saw six concerned anglers date, if no progress or agreement at the start of the meeting with a on their agenda was forthcoming. few drop-ins through the even- He said the Council had a small wining. Most had found out by default. dow in which to work on the river but The only organisation that has the failed to acknowledge that doing responsibility, resources and in- work in May was detrimental to trout formation on every angler is DOC. habitat and early spawning runs.

Mr Kirk says that he wants to work Three landowners who attended, closely with anglers but the Coun- explained their concerns regardcil needs to step up its game on ing their farms being flooded in consultation. The Department of smaller floods around 500 cumecs Conservation is the fishery man- today, whereas before the WRC agers but fail to inform anglers started ‘river enhancement’ work and clubs what is happening. they rarely got flooded with river More recently the NZFFA (NZ flooding up to around 900 cumecs.

Federation of Freshwater An- The WRC had put in flood protecglers) have been far more effec- tion walls in some places with tive at communicating with trout flood gates which impeded the river draining off flood land after a flood; this could have easily been addressed by extending the flood protection wall further along the true right of the river to a high bank area.

If the WRC get and listen to the right guidance from someone that knows about fish habitat and

spawning runs then the WRC could very easily be on the same page as every river user, ultimately supporting the local community.

Turangi town and anglers nationwide want to work closely with Council to re-establish this world class fishery and repair years of bad planning and maintenance work done by Council.

One fisher mentioned the continuous high lake levels and Kirk’s response was that this meeting was not to discuss the actions of the power companies when in fact the power companies could be part of the problem.

While the council has the engineering experience they are dealing with a diverse community of river users, with some NZ and overseas anglers being extremely passionate about the waterway having fished there for over fifty years on their annual pilgrimage.

DoC must supply someone to help the WRC on fish habitat or gain the support of Angling Clubs and approach them for expertise that they would gladly provide.

Anglers expressed concern at the appalling state of the lower Tongariro River with endless snags left by Council “flood protection» works and heavy silting. This confirms their attitude and complete lack of knowledge.

They do not appear to understand the significance of the damage they do to the river which in turn discourages tourism in this world class trout fishing river. It is very sad. The meeting suggested Council should fix this first and restore access tracks before planning new works.

The pools below the infamous Bridge Pool are now quite shallow, full of silt and stones as are other famous pools further down the river.

The Delta is extremely silted and it was suggested at the meeting that this area needs to be cleared to allow for a more natural flow into Taupo, and that when the Tongariro is flooding Genesis Energy needs to allow the river to flow for a longer period of time rather that shutting the flow down too early, which stops silt flowing down to the delta.

The devastation to the Bends and De Latours occurred around six years ago and these pools have never fished like they used to.

The damage to the lower river is enormous and can never be appreciated by the new people in WRC. They replace their “Development Manager” several times since so there is no evidence of their mistakes carried forward. Once anglers stop coming to Turangi it is the local townspeople that will ultimately suffer.

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Didymo Dave FROM THE FISH TRAP For the last 5 weeks I have been operating the Hinemaiaia Stream fish trap, something I’ve been privileged to be able to do for the last 5 years. I get to spend 5 to 6 nights a week for 8 weeks each year living in a caravan in the bush transferring trout above the dam to the lake. We still have another 3 weeks to go but I can assure you, given the numbers of trout we have shifted the Hinemaiaia Stream fishery is in a healthy state.

I had a day off last week to do washing and get some more food and in the evening travelled to Tauranga and spoke to the Tauranga Anglers Club. I’ve spoken to this club before and they are a great group of people and very generous. I took my fly storage boxes, put them on the table and said “help yourself” and as usual they had some spare rods, waders etc that they donated for me to find young ones to use.

One afternoon I left the fish trap and went down to check out how the fishermen were getting on. A bloke aged 60+ showed up in his motor home with a NZMC association sticker on it and I greeted him and politely asked what part of the country he was from? He said he was from Christchurch and that he had brought bucket loads of Didymo to spread around our rivers. I didn’t react to that, I’ve heard that sort of sick humour before but what I did react to was were his comments that he didn’t Check Clean Dry in the South Island, couldn’t be bothered reading any of the signage up here and wasn’t going to be bothered cleaning his gear in the North Island.

Now I have left the more colourful words out of his comments and I responded by quietly but firmly asking him where he thought he was? I explained that my Maori

mates owned the bed of the stream and lots of Pakeha had an attitude of ownership towards the stream in the way we cared for it. We do the weed control, trap vermin, pick up rubbish and care for the stream valley and we don’t like it when someone shows up with gear that is not clean and an attitude that is disrespectful. Let’s just say he cleaned his gear and learnt about respect for what we value.

Recently we had the Rise Film Festival in Taupo and what a night we had. Great people, great films with some magnificent scenery around the world as usual. All the profits from the Taupo night go to the vermin control on the Hinemaiaia Stream and a big thanks to the organisers, sponsors and bidders at the auction.

Have fun out there and with opening day for the back country, Lake 0 etc approaching fast please remember Check Clean Dry is the only way to go.

Freshwater Fisheries Bill a Travesty Whitebaiters, farmers and rural communities are deeply suspicious that Eugenie Sage is trying to sneak her Conservation (Indigenous Freshwater Fisheries) Amendment Bill through Parliament without anyone noticing.

Mike Thomas, a commercial whitebaiter and farmer from South Canterbury says rural water users and fishermen are all adversely affected by this Bill, yet nobody has been consulted.

The Regulatory Impact Statement on the Bill, put out by the Department of Conservation and Treasury, was also “pathetic”.

“Nobody is going to accept the feeble excuse that consultation couldn’t happen because of the legislative timetable. Eugenie’s Bill doesn’t just affect whitebaiters.

It carves deeply into New Zealand’s

freshwater infrastructure, activities and cultural identity”, Mr Thomas said. “Eugenie seems to think that DoC needs more powers to build their empire and justify their existence. But it’s just another tier of useless bureaucracy in the freshwater sphere. It will massively increase DoC’s powers, making things more complex, unwieldy and expensive.”

Of particular concern to Mr Thomas was the potential effect of the Bill on farmers. It extends the Department of Conservation’s powers to make rules on any amount of land adjacent whitebait spawning areas.

It allows the Department of Conservation to manage water intakes, discharges, flood control works and other freshwater infrastructure on the basis of native fish without any criteria or controls. Further, the Bill will seriously affect whitebaiters

and others who harvest native fish through extending DoC’s powers of closure, method restrictions and permit requirements. Sports fishermen are also affected, as DoC’s native fish plans will now take precedence over sports fish plans.

“But worst of all is that iwi are exempt from all provisions of this Bill.

I’ve got no problem with protection of Treaty Settlement rights, but this Bill goes further and creates two classes of whitebait fishermen: Iwi and non-iwi. How’s that going to work at the river mouth?” Mr Thomas said. “This is classic Green-Party ideology and we are not taking it lying down. We’re preparing a sign to be placed on all whitebait stands and farm gates (and elsewhere) saying “Green Party voters not welcome”, with a picture of Sage on it so you can recognise what they look like”.

Councils and Farmers need to Get Earnest over River Clean-up There is a lack of commitment and determination on the part of

regional councils and the farming industry to the urgent task of restoring New Zealand’s rivers and streams to full health says a trout and rivers advocacy group.

While they tend to point the stick at the farming community they are using and authoring the use of vast amounts of poisons, insecticides, pesticides and herbicides to kill brush and weeds, which destroys fish habitat and causes all sorts of environmental damage.

The Federation of Freshwater Anglers has called on regional and city councils to get fully serious about monitoring of waterways and dealing with offenders.

“They are the ones with the mandate to chase up farmers,” said Federation president Graham Carter.

“Councils need to get their act together and then use the big stick to deal with polluters.”

He said there was increasing public concern about the practice after photos and film on TV One’s news revealed Ashburton feed lot dairy cattle being kept belly deep in mud and rivers being dirtied by sediment runoff from intensive winter feeding paddocks.

Graham Carter fully backed Fish and Game Chief Executive Martin Taylor who recently said the

agriculture industry needed to take a tougher line.

Martin Taylor said such bad practices were completely unacceptable and called for greater leadership from the agriculture industry to stop offenders continuing their hugely damaging practice.

Graham Carter said it was heartening to hear Otago Federated Farmers’ criticism of forcing animals into mud-filled paddocks and Dairy NZ’s guidelines to improve the situation.

But other farming leaders needed to back up Otago Federated Farmers. Federated Farmers in Southland had been actively trying to undermine Dairy NZ’s guidelines and weaken the region’s environmental plan to accommodate intensive winter feeding. In addition nationally, Federated Farmers must commit itself to clean up a practice which is hurting the reputation of farming especially the many who farm with an environmental conscience and were looking after the environment.”

Opposition to both feedlots and intensive winter grazing was now widespread and growing with a huge groundswell of opinion against bad practices from environmental groups, Fish & Game, vets and good farmers.

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Canterbury rivers pollution disgusting The pollution in Canterbury’s rivers is a disgusting indictment on this government co-alition.

The government and Ecan has turned its back on river users shown by the fact that they continue to allow irrigation projects in areas where the water has to be extracted from the rivers for the projects to succeed.

They have dishonoured kiwis by ignoring Water Conservation Orders and allowing these schemes to extract water which

has seriously affected water flows.

This in turn affects the recreational water users and those involved in these irrigation schemes don’t give a toss about the environment.

The damage to the Rakaia and Rangitata river systems is absolutely abhorrent.

The point is that both local and central government are breaching the Treaty of Waitangi and most Maori don’t care.

When you consider the fuss they make about land being taken why

The rūnanga are supposed to be guardians, of all of our New Zealand waterways and the decline aren’t Iwi up in arms about this? of most of our region’s rivers has It should also send a clear mes- come at a personal cost to all kiwis. sage that freshwater pollution is The Māori proverb goes “Ko au te not just an environmental issue, awa. Ko te awa ko au” (I am the river. but increasingly a cultural one, too. The river is me). So what happens For some Canterbury Māori, the when the river becomes polluted? agricultural pressures on the en- Nothing. Many Maori trustees vironment have gone too far, are being bought off by the which has pitted two world views big business polluters, being against each other: One in which taken on by Councils as advisrivers have mauri (a life force), ers and being paid to shut up. and one where rivers are re- Some iwi are finding this sources that can support a com- out and are taking action to munity’s economic livelihood. get rid of these hypocrites.

“The degradation of these rivers has happened over the last 5060 years and successive governments have allowed it to get worse.

Both local and central government have lied and deceived New Zealanders in the name of orchestrating bit business progress against the wishes of Kiwis.

It has to stop.

The excuse of allowing big business to walk over New Zealand citizens is so disgusting it beggars belief, as many kiwis are so apathetic Ministers like Simon Upton and David Parker that have approved and allow this to

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happen should be jailed.

The well-used justification for the creation of jobs and improvements to the regional economy is pathetic when you put this against the pollution of the rivers.

Councils are using flash phrases like it benefits the town’s economy; or the resource consent processes were “very robust” within a set of highly scrutinised and strict regional rules; or farmers would be strictly regulated, and were required to submit farm environment plans, do onfarm planting and fence off waterways; which we all know is bunkum.

Auckland On Water Boat Show Get On-Water this September Anyone interested in boating, fishing, scuba diving, spear-fishing kayaking and related water activities will be counting the days until the 20th Anniversary Auckland On-Water Boat Show opens its gates.

The four-day event, held at the ANZ Viaduct Events Centre from September 27 until September 30, 2018, is New Zealand’s premier marine showcase.

And with more than 200 New Zealand and international businesses exhibiting, 2018 will be one of the biggest on-water boat shows in the event’s 20-year history.

Something for everyone This year’s event, says show organiser Stacey Cook, promises more sport-fishing boats, recreational fishing tackle and associated equipment than ever before.

Visitors to this year’s show can attend seminars and workshops, compare marine engines and marine electronics, shop for safety equipment and sport fishing tackle, or organise marine insurance.

Attendees can also access a wide range of professional services, visit interactive displays, enter numerous competitions and enjoy a variety of food choices.

As usual, the ANZ Viaduct Event Centre will be home to many of the boat show’s undercover exhibits, including a Daiwa and Hunting & Fishing zone where show patrons can check out the latest in fishing tackle.

The knowledgeable team from Botany Hunting & Fishing will have top-quality gear for sale – their up-to-the-minute fishing advice comes free!

V8 outboards

production launches and yachts, will be displayed ‘on the water’.

This September, Yamaha Marine will debut its new XTO 425hp V8 outboard motor at the on-water show and Mercury will have its new range of V6 and V8 outboards.

Honda Marine and Suzuki will also show new model outboards, while Evinrude has confirmed it will demonstrate its new i-Dock joystick docking control. Other manufacturers may have similar control systems on display.

Looking for an inboard diesel or petrol marine engine? There’s plenty to choose from: Cummins, Hyundai, FPT Iveco, Volvo-Penta, Mercury, John Deere, Scania and more, suitable for both work and play.

Boats galore

September’s show is the first chance for Kiwis to see brand-new models from Caribbean, Greenline, Marex, Prestige, Riviera, Maritimo, Axopar, Sealine and the Palm Beach 55, as well as Kiwi-built boats from Dickey Boats, Elite Marine (Lloyd Stevenson Boatbuilders, Allan Tongs and Scott Lane) and Admiral.

Sea trials will be available aboard Sealegs’ new Sport RIB, the Suzuki-powered Marco 650 Sou’wester (complete with Garmin electronics package), Textrax’s new release electric amphibious boat, the Boston Whaler 285 Conquest with Sports Marine, Blackdog Cat, Everyman Boats, Stabicraft and Makaira Boats.

On Saturday and Sunday, the public can go aboard the Navy ship HMZS Taupo to meet officers and crew.

“2017 set a record for the number of alloy and fibreglass trailer boat manufacturers and importers exhibiting at the show. It’s looking like this record will be surpassed in 2018,” says Cook.

Inspect aluminium models from Stabicraft, Surtees, Fish City Boats, Extreme Boats, Lazercraft Boats, Blackdog Cat, Image Boats, Makaira Boats, Broadbill Boats, White Pointer Boats, Sealegs, Dickey Boats, Everyman Boats, Marco Boats, Purekraft Boats, Senator Boats, Sportcraft Boats, Profile Boats and more.

If GRP trailer boats more your style, check out Tristram Marine, Rayglass Boats, Fi-Glass Boats, Smuggler Marine, Haines Hunter and Grady-White. Tow-sports enthusiasts can swing by Nautique NZ’s stand and there will be numerous RIBs and tenders on display from a range of New Zealand and overseas manufacturers.

Some of the larger GRP and aluminium trailer boats, along with a comprehensive range of Kiwi-built and imported custom and

Where: ANZ Viaduct Events Centre, Viaduct Harbour When: September 27-30, 2018 Show times: Thursday to Saturday, 10am – 6pm; Sunday 10am – 5pm

For more information and tickets visit: www.auckland-boatshow.com

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

27-30 SEPT | VIADUCT HARBOUR www.auckland-boatshow.com ACREDITED BY

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Anglers love regulations They must do, they have so many of them. They have regulations that tell them what sports fish are, what flies, bait and lures are, what is natural and artificial, what methods can be used when and where, what when and where they can and can’t fish with, what and when they can and can’t keep, etc., etc. None of which successfully keep up with changes in technology, methodology, environmental factors or species distribution.

Personally, I think that both fisheries and anglers are over-regulated because we try and use rules and regulations to govern something far more nebulous – ethics.

Ethics aren’t something we are necessarily born with, they are something that we learn as we go along and are therefore subject to change over the angler’s lifetime. I cannot envisage a situation where I would choose to fish for trout using a worm or natural bait, simply because I have learnt from experience that fish caught that way tend to be deep hooked and such hooks are very difficult to retract without harming the fish. And I wish to be

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cil utterly refutes the numerous unsubstantiated allegations.

The Office of the Auditor-General was notified before the

able to choose whether to release glers belong to clubs these days, my fish or not. But can it be an effec- especially anglers that tend to tartive way of catching fish? Hell yes! get the easy or rewarding waters.

And do I think that we should In addition, as tourism increases, as by Tony Orman be telling the 12-year-old new professionals with client’s requireangler desperate to be able to ment populate the waters, and we A noted American fly fisherman is catch a fish, any fish, in their lo- become a more multi-cultural na- warning New Zealand’s trout fishcal river not to use such a meth- tion, people with quite different ing is at a dangerously critical stage. od where it is legal? No, I don’t. perspectives and appreciations Howard West, just turned 71, It is a similar situation with spawn- of fisheries are added to the mix. spent a trout fishing holiday in ing fish, egg patterns, and other It is simple to go on-line these days New Zealand in the early 1980’s. methodologies. If you don’t like and learn a multitude of methods to “I was captivated by the abundant it, don’t do it. And I’ll bet you a catch fish. But where do anglers go high quality trout water, the natural penny to a pound that if the regu- to learn the ethics? Let me say at this beauty and the friendly people,” he lators think that it is inappropriate, point that I think kiwi anglers are recalls. “It was a fly fisher’s paradise.” there will be a regulation about some of the worst when it comes But that’s all changing and too fast it. If there isn’t, or you think that to respect, ethics and behaviour on for his liking. Fast forward from the they are inappropriate, you can ask our fisheries. Whether it is cleaning 1980s to two years ago, Howard rethem to change it. Behaviour on your gear between waterways, pick- alised that he had been oblivious the water is a whole different beast. ing up and packing out the rubbish to the gradual decline in the fishThere is nothing like the promise of and nylon you use, or respecting ery. He took a hard look behind the bounty to reveal people’s true na- the fellow anglers that you meet on New Zealand marketing branding tures. We have all seen it, whether the water, we often lag far behind of clean, clear trout rivers and abunit is at the Canterbury Canals or the the visiting anglers from overseas dant fish and had eyes wide open.

Tongariro’s spawning runs. Even our that we love to hate. So maybe that “I was horrified to learn how deludlocal rivers are no longer immune. is something else that the NZ Feder- ed and blind I had been in not noOnce upon a time, clubs were an ation of Freshwater Anglers can do. ticing the decline,” he says ruefully. important vehicle to teach devel- Maybe one of the messages When not fly fishing, Howard spent oping anglers respect for the fish, that we need to keep giving out over thirty years in consumer for the waterways and for fellow to anglers is about our ethics. marketing for 3M, Oracle and for anglers. But fewer and fewer anMedtronic, including fifteen years as Managing Director of Scientific Anglers when it was owned by 3M. First inkling to alerting him to the looming crisis was his personal encounters with the destructive Performance, Audit and Risk com- the decade-long budget over-runs. impact that the rapid expansion of mittee while the audit is underway. Fish and Game is funded by the sale the dairying industry was having The branch oversees a vast geo- of fishing and game hunting licenc- on his favourite Southland streams graphical area from south of the es and receives no Crown money. which he had fished for decades. It Rakaia River, north to the Hurunui The Water and Wildlife Habitat Trust was slow but insidious - like a canRiver, and inland to the South- – a separate entity with independ- cer - but it dawned on Howard that ern Alps, including the Canter- ent trustees – received interim fund- each year, the streams progressively bury Plains, Christchurch, and ing from North Canterbury Fish and took longer to clear after mere miBanks Peninsula, has overspent Game, which was generated from nor storms. After all it was sighting by $734,580 in the past decade. the interest of bequeathed money and stalking trout that he reveled in.

Many stakeholders had lost con- gifted solely for the enhancement “Wasting precious days waiting fidence in North Canterbury Fish of specified Canterbury rivers. for the water to clear were very and Game to best manage their Trevor Isitt chairman of the North discouraging. But when I toted up natural resource, which highlighted Canterbury Fish and Game Coun- year after year the longer periods I was waiting, I realised the symptoms of an ailing environment.”

Another retrograde change was that once open-banked streams like Southland’s Hamilton burn were becoming so overgrown with willows that wielding a fly rod was near impossible except on the bigger pools.

Besides warning signs of e coli bacteria being erected on his favoured streams confirmed his fears, the water quality was spiraling downwards.

“Clearly I love to fish but not at the expense of my personal health,” he reflects. “After all I’m not simply walking around these streams in knee high rubber boots. I’m in dairy contaminated water up to my waist, where contact with it is on your hands and is unavoidable.”

Ten years ago Howard West re-

general decision-making, and the ongoing operating losses.

Is NZ’s Trout Fishing Heading for “Paradise Lost”

Fish and Game under investigation Spending and transparency concerns with the North Canterbury Fish and Game Council have been raised by five of the councillors.

They wrote to New Zealand Fish and Game Council to request an immediate forensic financial audit with questions on how a dead man’s bequeathed $500,000 was being spent.

Rod Cullinane the North Canterbury Fish and Game general manager has voluntarily stood down from his role as chair of the Environment Canterbury (ECan)

audit and high-powered auditor Bruce Robertson is probing North Canterbury’s handling of the bequest, its transparency and

Howard West plays a West Coast spring creek trout. He reviled in the crystal clear water, fly hatches and of course the trout.

luctantly and sadly left his Southland streams behind and moved to another section of the South Island on the West Coast, where the streams did not colour up so much after minor rain.

For the first few years everything was fine in the new environment.

“Streams were rarely off-colour any freshes quickly cleared and good mayfly hatches made for top quality sight fishing in the gorgeous gravel streams,” he recalls.

Then things began to change for the worse. After the Southland ruination, Howard was more sensitive and alert to changes. His antennae were up and monitoring.

“I noticed the fly hatches grew weaker or disappeared altogether, the in-stream weed growth dramatically increased and the talk of the unknown toxic impact of 1080 poison and dirtydairying impacts ramped up.”

Bewildered and saddened, Howard asked questions to himself. What’s happening? Where is the much vaunted green and pristine New Zealand of the 1980’s? Are those days gone? As the 17th century John Milton poem says, is it “Paradise Lost”?

Howard set about analysing and delving deeper into the shadows behind the New Zealand tourist marketing curtain claiming to be “100% pure” and “clean and green.” to an avid fly fisherman, both slogans promise clean and pristine trout waters.

“I’m now finding out it goes much deeper than my personal trout fishing experiences and realisation of what’s happening to the health of rivers,” he says.

There are strong ethical challenges facing New Zealand. He cites 1080 poison and says New Zealand just the size of the state of Colorado, has over 90 percent of the world’s use of 1080 poison.

“It’s scary to learn what a nasty toxin 1080 is and what a huge threat it is ecologically and to the health of freshwater eco-

systems and the rivers and trout I live.”

He shakes his head in disbelief at the failure of the New Zealand government to acknowledge the disaster that 1080 is. Howard is incredulous government can disregard the facts about 1080. He sees with horror the buildup of an “industry” a parasitic one involving scientists, contractors and a government-owned State Owned Enterprise distributing the poison.

It can only be motivated by greed which puts personal gain ahead of the personal health of the people which politicians and public servants are charged with protecting.

“This may very well be my last trip to New Zealand,” he says quietly and then adds. “Perhaps I’ll give it one last shot next summer.”

Howard West’s first trip to NZ was in the early eighties and he has returned nearly two dozen times and will probably be back again next season but with fingers tightly crossed.

Howard retired at 50 so he could work less, earn more, and fish nearly all he wished and started a consulting business outside of fly fishing.

“Unusually effective consumer marketing was always at the core of my success. Now that trout are my consumers, I do my best to deliver what they want, but first they must remain safe and healthy.”

He laughs as he declares he’s not a “crank fisherman or eco-extremist.”

“I’m simply an increasingly concerned advocate for New Zealand being the healthiest paradise it can be instead of destroying itself,” he adds.

But he’s quick to emphasize that the country could be a paradise for New Zealanders.

“NZ is your paradise too but the difference for me is that I don’t have to live there, drink the poisoned water or eat the toxin contaminated food or hear the silent forests. My kids won’t be asking where the birds or insects have gone or why they can’t swim in the local streams or lakes anymore.”

Howard urges New Zealanders to stand up and be counted and shrug off apathy and indifference.

“Your kids say ask you or your neighbours kids will. What will they think when they learn that you are part of the reason why?”

Howard West has been lured by New Zealand trout since 1984

Rainbow trout called salmon in China If you think there’s something fishy about the salmon you’re eating, that could be because it’s not salmon.

New rules introduced in China recently mean that rainbow trout can now be labelled and sold as salmon.

Chinese authorities have decided that because rainbow trout were labelled as a similar looking fish, so instead of banning the practice, their solution would be to legalise it.

Rainbow trout are freshwater fish whereas salmon are born in freshwater but then live

much of their lives in saltwater.

The two species are outwardly different, but inside, both have reddish meat and closely resemble each other.

Being very similar that chinese state media revealed that a third of fish that had been sold as salmon in China wwere in fact rainbow trout from Qinghai province.

So the China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Alliance have now announced in a ruling to standardize the industry, salmon

were now considered to be the “umbrella name of the Salmonidae fish”.

That’s a scientific category which includes trout as well as other similar fish.

However, according to the China Fisheries Association, domestic rainbow trout are bred in safe and quarantined conditions so there’s no need to worry.

“Whether salmon has parasites does not depend on whether it is bred in sea water or fresh water,” it said.

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Trout Anglers Want Whitebait and Eels “De-commercialized” A trout and rivers advocacy group the NZ Federation of Freshwater Anglers want native fish in whitebait and eels largely de-commercialized.

Federation president Graham Carter spoke out in support of the Forest and Bird Society who recently said whitebait should not be for sale.

“I applaud Forest and Bird for raising the matter as it’s obvious human nature being what it is, that when the quick buck enters into it, ethics and common-sense go out the back door,” he said.

Graham Carter said over the last decade trout anglers had several times advocated “de-commercializing” whitebait and eels because of the two species’ declining populations. Trout anglers were conservationists at heart as shown by forthright protests against pollution and water extraction from rivers.

“I’m delighted Forest and Bird have taken up the call,” he said.

There were numerous cases of

city persons taking large quantities of West Coast whitebait and ferrying hundreds of kilograms back to the urban areas where they were sold “under the counter” and for cash thus avoiding tax.

“In some cases a group of urban whitebaiters were making $60,000 to $80,000 for a couple of months plundering”.

A daily bag limit of 3-4 kilogram more or less - dependent on the region - should be implemented.

Graham Carter said at times farming representatives and extreme green groups wrongly blamed trout of preying on whitebait showing a lack of understanding of food chains.

“Whitebait was plentiful 40 years ago, a century after the introduction of trout. The decline has been very marked in modern times with habitat loss, a wave of toxic farm and pest chemicals in the ecosystem and de facto commercial fishing. Anglers have also noted

declining eel numbers and have publicly expressed concern. Yet we even had a deluded Federated Farmers councillor dairy farmer in the Manawatu calling trout predatory monsters,” he said. “Trout have been here for for over 150 years and Nature established ecological predator-prey relationships. Whitebait were still abundant over a century after trout introductions.”

He said the two key issues causing declines in whitebait and eels were environmental habitat degradation and commercial fishing plus bogus recreational fishing of whitebait. Dairy farming expansion and large scale forestry had resulted in a combination of lessened river flows, contamination of water with nitrate leaching from large scale corporate dairying plus chemicals used today and heavy silt deposition in streams and rivers after clear felling of pine forests.

Water quality A key issue in Canterbury An Introduction to a series of articles on Water Quality - By Dr Peter Trolove

BVSc MSc MBA (retired) While I do not claim to be an expert on the subject, I have spent a lot of time reading and researching water quality issues in order to make meaningful submissions at two consent hearings and to try to understand why a once outstanding internationally and nationally recognized recreational fishery supposedly protected by the Rakaia NWCO has collapsed.

I have fished the Rakaia for nearly 60 years and from 1994 -1999 I worked as the supervising meat veterinarian at a Deer Slaughter Premises within commuting distance from my fishing bach at the Rakaia Huts. The deer processing involved an early start, but my working day was over by 2.30 pm. For these six years I spent nearly every day walking, fishing, shooting or simply observing the fish and wildlife that inhabited the wider river mouth zone, (hapua). I know the region intimately and expected to catch several fish on every outing.

During my six year spell living permanently at the Huts I would have caught, (and mainly released), well over a thousand prime sea trout.

For the majority of my 40 years in veterinary practice I worked as a production animal vet – working with sheep & beef, and dairy cattle. An important role of farm vets is that of “information broker”, I have attended lectures as part of my continuing professional de-

reports, and believe my smelt patterns out fish commercial offerings.

Perhaps this is insufficient grounds to claim expert status, but I do have a good generalist’s knowledge of the Rakaia fishery and the importance of water quality.

Water quality has become the key issue in Canterbury. My Selwyn District is at the front line of water politics and pollution. Thanks to irrigation and industrial dairy farming, Canterbury has the highest per capita GDP and worst water pollution of any region in New Zealand.

Public Health Dr Alistair Humphries, the Canterbury DHB’s Chief Medical Officer velopment, (CPD), to learn how to of Health recently spoke to a conevaluate farm related literature in cerned group of Selwyn residents a systemic manner with an open and told us that his midwives albeit cynical mind. (I have some now give pamphlets to expectexperience as a “bullshit detector”). ant rural mothers advising them Money, politics, and power distort to have their ground water tested water science. The charter of NIWA for nitrate pollution as an increasonce an excellent source of pub- ing number of rural wells have nilic good science and information trate levels that are toxic to babies. now requires this institution to pay He is frustrated that while it is his its way. At ECan’s 2012 “cowboy role to inform ECan of the situation, court”, (the Lake Coleridge Hear- the council does not want to know. ing), I discovered Trustpower’s lead In Canterbury, the much vaunted expert witness had made an error dairy industry has achieved a hortranscribing Rakaia flow data from rid milestone – apparently we a peer reviewed (1985) study. When have had the first confirmed blue I tracked down the original hydrolo- baby death – some unfortunate gist now employed by NIWA, I was mother has unknowingly killed told he was unable to comment as her new born baby by mixing “Trustpower had employed NIWA “Fonterra’s Finest” with groundwaon this one”. My frustration was ter polluted by the very cows from not helped when the “expert wit- which the formula was sourced. ness” then brazenly told the hear- ECan and government minising commissioners that there did tries are failing their duty of seem to be an anomaly and it was care to New Zealand citizens. most likely that the original authors As far back as 1986 a Ministry of had got it wrong. In his rebuttal of Works hydrology report predicted evidence the same (sworn) expert the groundwater between Ashwitness advised the commission- burton and Rakaia would probably ers that in his expert opinion, I did have nitrate-nitrogen levels raised not see the fish I reported spawn- to 15-20 g m3 from the existing ing in upwelling water in a deeply Ashburton Lyndhurst irrigation cut hole in the North Rakaia river. scheme. This would require rural My passion for angling prompted residents to seek an alternative me to cash up my superannuation water supply. [This is twice the in order to complete a master’s de- threshold for blue baby deaths.] gree in aquatic veterinary studies There are many similar reports lying at the Institute of Aquaculture of fallow in ECan’s document library. the University of Stirling in Scot- Instead of making this informaland. (I trained as a fish vet at a tion available to the public and to world class institute the “independent commissioners” that was leading charged with making water althe “blue revolu- location decisions at the region’s tion” of fish farming). irrigation consent hearings, ECan To get a feel for the distributes elaborate color pamsubject, I had previ- phlets to our rural mail boxes conously completed a taining “fake news” about the state “refresher course” of the region’s environment telling for veterinarians on us how their regional plans will refish diseases at the store everything by “2000 & future”.

University of Sydney. A personal epiphany I have built up an On the 16th December 2016, my extensive library son was born at Christchurch of fish and angling Women’s Hospital. The little chap related books and had a rocky start and spent three

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weeks in ICU while the staff fought to manage his condition and my partner worked around the clock to provide breast milk to help him through. As rural residents we enjoyed the support of Ranui House which was greatly appreciated enabling us to remain in contact with ICU throughout this period.

Towards the end of our stay, when George showed signs of improvement, I decided to try to re-discover the plaque commemorating the first successful shipment of brown trout to New Zealand on the banks of Addington stream that flowed into the Avon River a few hundred meters from the hospital ward.

For a “fishing nut” what could be a more symbolic association, the birth of your child next to the birth of our fishery.

Assisted by a botanical gardens staff member the plaque was found and photographed still in sight of the 5th floor ward above.

My optimistic stroll downstream turned to dismay where the contents of the polluted stream discharged into the “clean” main stem of the Avon.

Five years after the Christchurch earthquakes the Christchurch City Council had allowed this historic nursery stream to remain a polluted grey drain.

The ugly future of my son’s generation was laid out in stark relief.

If we cannot trust our central and local government authorities to act as effective stewards of our fresh water resources then we must join

the debate and insist on a better performance and better councilors.

The Key government’s Environment Canterbury Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management Act (2010), passed under urgency, and his “glove puppet” commissioners have shut Cantabrians out of the water debate.

A handful of farmers have been allocated roughly one million dollars of public money each to help them plunder and pollute a priceless public resource. A half billion dollar “think big” project that is promoting an unsustainable form of farming that will pollute the pristine unconfined aquifer between the Rakaia and Waimakariri rivers.

There is a need to understand water quality in order to understand

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the bullshit that is being fed to us by Fonterra and Ecan. It is simply wrong to conduct intensive irrigated dairying over vulnerable light porous Canterbury soils.

I hope to discuss &/or invite discussion in future articles on topics such as; water quality and public health, water quality and aquaculture, the difficulty in determining water quality standards for healthy ecosystems, the flawed National Policy Statements on Fresh Water (2014) amended 2017, fish kills, Ecan’s role in destroying the “protected” Rakaia fishery, hired perjury & “expert witnesses” at consent hearings, what can and what cannot be achieved to mitigate nitrate pollution – “the invisible elephant in Canterbury’s room”.

Fish your adventure playground

With the opening of the trout fishing season and summer around the corner now is the time to start planning your holiday activities.

You can stay in a Classic 1970’s style accommodation, which is perfect for families and groups.

The Kakahi Adventure Lodge is the perfect holiday home in this majestic adventure wonderland of the Central North Island, with excellent reviews on social media.

Kakahi is an easy drive to many adventures in the region, includ-

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ing the fishing waters of the Whakapapa River, Wanganui River and the Ongarue River.

Kakahi Adventure Lodge provides a place where time stands still. The lodge sits at one end of the village, is private, sunny and peaceful. The night sky is vast and unspoiled by light pollution.

The lodge is a complete 3 bedroom house which sleeps seven, with two living spaces, and two bathrooms, situated at Kakahi, a small King Country settlement about

10 kilometres up the Whanganui River from Taumarunui, right in the heart of the central North Island.

There is a local shop with a good selection of items from chocolate and bacon to booze with a great a good selection of fishing gear.

Other activities include the Pureora Timber Trail, 42 Traverse, Tongariro Crossing, Forgotten World Adventures ride the rails or jet boat, Ruapehu Skiing, Mountain Air. This is the perfect base for world class fishing, skiing, hiking, biking, kayaking, golf, quad bikes, motor cycling, and trail riding, or sitting in the sun reading one of their books.

The facilities offered include; log fire, heat pump, heaters in all rooms, electric blankets, linen and bedding. Fully equipped kitchen, including breadmaker, microwave, crock pot, yoghurt maker, and large fridge. Other facilities include a washing machine, freezer, library, games, cleaning products.

Pick up can be arranged from the Taumarunui bus station or the National Park railway station.

The address is 383 Waitea Branch Road, Kakahi, Taumarunui or call Maxine direct 027 878 1813.

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