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JUNE 2016
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MPI BUSTED -By Graham Carter
These excerpts from the MPI’s Operation Achilles report show how badly managed and corrupt the MPI Fisheries Management is. The MPI have been fully aware that dumping is taking place and have allowed dumping to continue unprosecuted, whilst denying the practice and keeping the information from the public arena). 10.20 As I understand it the Ministry has previously ignored offending (dumping) that has been observed and recorded by Ministry Fisheries Observers because an assurance has been given to the vessels concerned prior to the observers boarding the vessel that all such offending that has been seen would be disregarded and no prosecution action taken… 10.21 I am also aware that it is the intention of the MPI Fishery Management group to run a trial program with the main objective being to obtain better information on the amount, type and composition on fish discards. Part of this proposal would include the issuing of ‘special permits’ to allow dumping/ discarding from certain vessels… I think this would be an unwise move until such time as a decision has been made as to what legal action will be taken against these vessels. There are other legal issues that I feel should be considered to as I believe they could have serious implications to the ministry. 10.22 From a legal standpoint I believe that consideration should be given to a number of issues. Firstly, does the Ministry have a le-
gal mandate to allow it to contract out of the prosecution of offences? Is this an action that only the Solicitor General can take? The fact that we have previously given assurance against prosecution and may have done so again may not be the correct course and I believe should be further considered. Could the Ministry potentially be seen to be perverting the course of justice? 10.23 As to whether this matter achieves the required levels as to the crown prosecution guidelines regarding public interest and evidential sufficiency then I believe that they have been met …overwhelmingly. 10.24 Matters that should be considered for the public interest include: 1. seriousness of the offending; 2. economic and ecological harm; 3. deliberate ongoing and systematic course of action; 4. difficult to detect this type of using standard investigation techniques. 10.25 …Consideration should therefore be given as to the possible repercussions and criticism that could be faced if we were not to prosecute these vessels…place at risk our credibility here and internationally and face justifiable criticism from industry and the judiciary. 10.28 …we have never had such compelling evidence to prove what we have known for a long time. It is imperative in my opinion that we act positively and timely to mitigate the risk that may result due to a lack (or perceived lack) of action on our part. The Fishing and Outdoors Newspaper is the only fishing newspa-
per or magazine which has made a hardline stand against the MPI and commercial fishing industry. The newspaper has published many articles on the state of the NZ wide fishery and the Commercial Fishing Industries and MPI’s failings, since July 2013. We have outlined and detailed the many issues which have pointed the finger at Nathan Guy, Minister of MPI and his co-horts in the MPI in the management of the fishery and how is has colluded with the Commercial Fishing Industry in the rape and pillage of the inshore fishery through the failed Quota Management System. Copies of the newspaper have been regularly posted to the Prime Minister and the Minister of MPI, and other national party MP’s, so for Nathan Guy to state on National TV that he is unaware of the issues is disgusting. The MPI and Seafood NZ along with commercial fishing interests have continually rebutted our accusations, as we have identified, in issue after issue the ministries and commercial fisheries failings. They have threatened to take the newspaper to the Press Council, and we have shown the MPI where they have breached their own Fisheries Act on two occasions. Staff of the Fishing and Outdoors Newspaper have been threatened by the NZ Police and commercial fishers. Headlines like “MPI Cancer of the Seas”, “MPI Totally Incompetent”, “Massive Fish Sellout”, “A Disgrace to Democracy”, “An Absolute Abomination”, “MPI plan to take away our
Birthright”, “Ban the Trawlers”, have identified the Ministries failings and the attitude of the commercial fishing industry whilst they have continued to deny that anything is wrong. Even the NZ Seafood Industry has rebutted these accusations and have fully supported the MPI and the Commercial Fishing Industry as they have down played the stance of the newspaper. What is required is a full ministerial enquiry, so that the MPI and the commercial fishing industry and the levels of corruption and lies, be completely exposed. According to the MPI’s own report, the MPI have carefully and purposely orchestrated a systematic practice of high grading and unreported discard for the commercial industry to follow without fear of prosecution for the sole purposes of gaining extra value to the export industry, all to the detriment of the fishery itself. If the inquiry initiated by the Director General MPI proves that his Ministry associates were aware of the failings of the Commercial Fishing Industry and the MPI Fisheries, then they must resign; policy and attitudes within the MPI Fisheries have to change. As the minister Nathan Guy continues to deny that he has known nothing about the fishing industries practices, is disgraceful, and for his management to support him in their repeated denials shows the public of NZ, how rotten they could be to the very core, to the highest levels. For the public of New Zealand to have any restoration of faith in the MPI, the top three managers should
Southern Ocean Chilly Bins
- Rotten to the very core
resign. That is Scott Gallacher, Deputy Director General; Dave Turner, Director of Fisheries Management and Steve Halley, Director of Inshore Fisheries; who have shown and displayed deliberate incompetence in the management of the fishery. Surely Steve Halley Director of Inshore must have known of these issues and chosen to be quiet. New Zealand cannot afford to have people in such important economic positions, shown to the world to be so corrupt, (if proven) as we are purportedly world leaders in fisheries practices. The Prime Minister and Minister of MPI are just public servants, and for them to have ignored and rebutted our articles, could show that they were fully aware of the levels of corruption and conduct within the ranks of the MPI – yet they have failed their constituents and the wider public, in not taking the appropriate actions. We believe their lack of action has been, a deliberate attempt to cover-up the failings of the Commercial Fishing Industry and the MPI, as they have pursued John Keys ‘export double mandate’. We think that that is highly likely and could show that this government has no consideration or respect for recreational fishers or the inshore fishery, and what we bring the economy of New Zealand, whatsoever. MPI has announced an “independent review” into its handling of the illegal discarding of fish, which only covers two the internal Ministry investigations, Operations Achilles and Hippocamp.”
The public concern is that the proposed investigation into the dumping, wastage and cover-ups by the MPI does not go far enough, and that only a full Ministerial review into the Quota Management System will be sufficient to allay widespread public concern that the Ministry has been completely corrupted by commercial interests. The recent University of Auckland “Reconstruction of marine fisheries catches for New Zealand (19502010)” albeit out of date, covers historical and extensive problems in monitoring commercial catch and fishers behaviour, and calls into question the effectiveness of the Quota Management System. The MPI cannot and should not be trusted to define the boundaries of its own internal investigation due to its current record. The proposed review, the terms of reference and the independent investigator, should be upgraded to a full ministerial enquiry by the Director General Martyn Dunne, along with the involvement of the Ombudsman. We believe that the minister has been fully aware of the irregularities within his ministry but has chosen to be absent from the issues, leaving it up to his incompetent officials to defend themselves. Michael Morrah from TVNZ has to be congratulated on his tenacity, courage and integrity on helping make these issues public. He is a very trustworthy and conscientious journalist that has the interests of the recreational fisher and the natural resource at heart.
‘start checking those whitebait nets’