Submission to Proposed NZRPS

By Alistair Bull | August 31, 2008

21st April 2008

Submission to Proposed NZRPS.

Pete Beech, Chairman of Guardians of The Sounds.

316A Waikawa RD Picton

Kia Ora Dave,

Well I received your letter to get into gear and put my thoughts on paper, I’m not a bureaucrat or academic mate, I haven’t read your proposed policy , and I don’t know an awful lot about what is going on in other areas of the Motu, but we have a strong sense of responsibility for the Marlb Sounds and I’m happy to share my thoughts with you.

My whanau have lived in the sounds for 6 generations, my wife and children are Maori and her Maori whakaaro ( ideals , Kaitiakitanga, Matauranga, ) have had a big impact on my ideals and the kaupapa of the Guardians of the Sounds.

My ancestors were all sounds farmers, so we are very much aware of the impact they had on the natural environment, I have been a commercial fisherman, one of my sons spent 10 yrs crewing on a longliner working right around the NZ coast another son was a paua diver for yrs.

My wife and I now run an Eco-Tour from our old launch Tutanekai. Where we spend nearly every day on the water studying nature.

We also run the Guardians of the Sounds, and spend a lot of time actively fighting to protect the natural environment of the Sounds, we have a close working relationship with our local DOC staff and find DOC head office, especially the Marine mammal division very accessible and helpful.

The one thing that we are acutely aware of is that the natural resources of the Sounds are in a state of collapse .

This has been brought on by generations of asset stripping of natural resources and a succession of Monocultures .

The fact is that the Sounds have never been managed properly and with the present Agency structure that is never going to change. BUT, we are not despondent, because we have to believe that with a proper Integrated Management Structure, we can stop the decline and restore the natural environment.

Doc have been an inspiration with the establishment of the Island bird sanctuaries, we know it can never be brought back to the way it was, but it can be a whole lot better than it is now.

I suppose that what you are wanting is to know how we think DOC can do better, well its easy to criticize, fact is the DOC staff locally are great guys, their hearts are in the right place but they are under funded and under resourced.

They are so under resourced that their role has been reduced to that of grass cutters and shit house cleaners.

Posted in Sounds Management, Submissions and Letters