Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Lisa Futschek: Seafood New Zealand CEO on the delay of the Fisheries Amendment Bill

Transcript

Lisa Futschek: Seafood New Zealand CEO on the delay of the Fisheries Amendment Bill · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Fishing companies are fuming as the Fishery's Amendment Bill seems
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: marooned for now. Shane Jones told a select committee has
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: been put to one side until after the election. He
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: says it needs a little bit of panel beating to
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: get the coalition partners on board.
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: It was quite a bit of disharmony in the broader
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: community of people who have a vested stake and fisheries.
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: So we're going to take some more time, allow some
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: more engagement and for those people who feel that their
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: voices weren't heard, then we'll use the experience of an
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: election and let's see what happens.
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: So how does the industry feel about this? We've got
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: Lisa Footcheck on the line, Seafood New Zealand chief Executive.
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Lisa Morena Andrew. So was it
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: a mess of a bill? I mean, so many parties
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: against it. Was it actually a bit of a mess
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: of a bill?
• 0:47
  Speaker 3: Not at all? Look, I think the issue here is
• 0:49
  Speaker 3: that quis are understandably passionate about the MINA, none more
• 0:54
  Speaker 3: so than the commercial industry, of course, whose livelihoods depend
• 0:58
  Speaker 3: on it. Now, I think what has happened here is
• 1:00
  Speaker 3: that passion has translated into misinformation, and unfortunately the facts
• 1:06
  Speaker 3: and the very very positive outcomes that this bill would
• 1:09
  Speaker 3: have brought in have been clouded by that public debate.
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: So you would argue that while there are some points
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: in the bill that are a little bit controversial, the
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: bottom trawling thing and all that sort of stuff and
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: the fishing around marine sanctuaries, that there's an awful lot
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: that's good in the bill which is now put on pause.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: So what does that mean for the industry?
• 1:28
  Speaker 3: Look, that is correct, there is an awful lot of
• 1:30
  Speaker 3: good that has been put on pause. But can I
• 1:32
  Speaker 3: just correct you there? The bill did not speak to
• 1:34
  Speaker 3: bottom trawling or fishing around marine sanctuaries. This bill was
• 1:38
  Speaker 3: about adding additional fisheries management tools to our toolbox. It
• 1:44
  Speaker 3: basically updated legislation which desperately needed some tweaking because it's
• 1:50
  Speaker 3: been in place now since nineteen ninety six.
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: So why is act and to a lesser degree national,
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: why did they have problems with it? Because that's what
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: you need the coalition partners to get across.
• 2:01
  Speaker 3: Look, that's correct, and I think you said it all.
• 2:03
  Speaker 3: The Minister said it in his introduction there, which is
• 2:05
  Speaker 3: that people have become very passionate about this. Our politicians
• 2:10
  Speaker 3: have been lobbied very hard by some loud noises and
• 2:12
  Speaker 3: some loud voices. However, they are not focused on the
• 2:17
  Speaker 3: facts of the matter, and it's really critical that in
• 2:19
  Speaker 3: a pssive legislation like this that the facts do prevail.
• 2:22
  Speaker 3: Now those facts that this, as I said, would have
• 2:26
  Speaker 3: added additional tools to our toolbox to essentially ensure that
• 2:30
  Speaker 3: the objective of the act was achieved, which is sustainable
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: utilization whilst enabling utilization.
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: Okay, do you think getting it through after the election
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: is now realistic?
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: Look, we are very hopeful that it will be. I
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: mean we look, we absolutely understand that robust debate in
• 2:49
  Speaker 3: these matters is to be expected. But look, keywis need
• 2:53
  Speaker 3: to be properly focused on the things that really do
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: matter for them during election times, and that things like
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: education in health. I mean, obviously we're in the middle
• 3:02
  Speaker 3: of the cost of living crisis. Nobody wants to be
• 3:04
  Speaker 3: making decisions on toddal, allowable catches and fisheries when it
• 3:07
  Speaker 3: comes to making decisions at the polls.
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: So finally, what's one thing in the bill that we're
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: going to regret missing out on because it's now been
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: put on hold.
• 3:17
  Speaker 3: Well, as I say, the ability to manage our fisheries
• 3:22
  Speaker 3: utilizing all of the new technologies that we have, such
• 3:25
  Speaker 3: as the electronic reporting, geospatial positioning, so things like management
• 3:30
  Speaker 3: procedures which make decisions upfront about what to do when
• 3:35
  Speaker 3: we see certain signals in the fishery rather than doing
• 3:40
  Speaker 3: making decisions after those signals have already happened.
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: Right, Lisa, I thank you so very very much. Lisa
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: footcheck who is the CEO of Seafood New Zealand.
• 3:50
  Speaker 3: For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live
• 3:54
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• 3:57
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