Thread: Inshore fishing under threat?

Originally Posted by Gibo

I dont know. But why do Councils have the power to do this? Dont MPI make these sorts of decisions based off research? Seems unless its appealed through the environmental court with enough backing the appeal gets quashed and the councils proceed as they wish. Also seems even when we think everyone is behind the appeal its still never enough and they spin that its based on consultation with the public. Beats me

In our local case the environment courts decision was appealed, and the high Court upheld the decision. It was a benchmark case interpreting the responsibilities of council in managing bethnic biodiversity as written in the RMA. Council doesn't want it. They can't afford it and there is no resource, structure or funding to manage it. The only legal recourse now is to change the RMA. One of my hopes with the hauraki spacial plan is that they will need to change both the qms and the RMA in order to enact the plan. Hopefully that allows for more flexible fishery management and brings it back to mpi to manage and not council.

The scariest part of it all is now any Interest group around the country can take council to court and achieve the same. All they need is for forest and Bird to say the biodiversity of an area is damaged, which by definition every popular reef system around the country is.