The NZ Outdoors Party is very concerned by the newly released recommendations of the Fish and Game review two person panel set up by Eugenie Sage when she was Conservation Minister.
Fish and Game is well known to the NZ Outdoors Party President, Alan Simmons who was one of the 12 foundation Councillors of Fish and Game setting up the organization on behalf of the minister in 1989, and went on to become an elected NZ Councillor for 4 years and then sat the Eastern Region council for 11 years.
“There has always been a difficult relationship between Fish and Game and the government “says Alan Simmons. ” The Department of Conservation who are legislatively responsible for Fish and Game concentrate on managing native species and seem to have lost their resolve to advocate for freshwater. DOC with an anti-introduced species phobia, consider trout, salmon and game birds as intruders and conflict will always be a problem.”
One of the recommendations is that the NZ Councillors needed to be elected as independent board members as it should have been from the beginning but the legislation made them an appointee of the region resulting in regional control over the NZ Council.
“Many of the environmental wins we currently have now were hard fought for by the old Acclimatisation societies and as an example the current protection and purity of many river headwaters came about as a result of river conservation orders hard fought for and funded by the trout and salmon fishing public over the past years. “
Most of the wetlands still intact were either purchased or saved by hunters. Most of these would not exist today such as the Kaituna wetland purchased by fund raising sausage sizzles and generous donations by the Tauranga Acclimatisation Society.
“I was on the Acclimatization Society council in the 1970’s and recall vividly the hard fought campaigns to save what are now treasured places,’ he says..
One of the legislative roles of Fish and Game has been advocacy around clean water and this has consumed a lot of anglers funds without any input from Government who abdicated their role in “clean water” while allowing Federated farmers to engage in a concerted war on Fish And Game because they did not like Fish and Game’s advocacy on dirty dairying. This extensive prejudiced criticism by Federated Farmers to the review panel helped convince the minister to holding the review while Fish and Game were really carrying out its responsibilities as required of them under the Conservation act.
He says there are deep concerns around government appointees.
“Will they be mere puppets for the government of the day bearing in mind environmental threats to wetlands and waterways invariably come from government? Also of concern is the requirement under the Conservation Act that Fish and Game Councillors cannot be paid for their time and work thus begging the question that if government appointees were assigned to councils would they be paid and not the other four Councillors? “
Alan Simmons says if everyone was to be paid then the cost of fishing and hunting licenses would have to double and become unaffordable to lower income New Zealanders, thus destroying the egalitarian tradition of fishing and hunting sports being available to all.
“Anglers and hunters need to stand up and decide as to whether they accept the review report’s recommendations effectively for a government takeover or fight off yet another government attempt and there have been many over the years.
Contact: Alan Simmons
Alan Simmons – “government stooges in State scheme”
Beautiful!!
Fish & Game sure isn’t perfect but the democratic participation ethos of Kiwi anglers and waterfowlers burns brightly to this day.
Heaven help outdoor people if the Department of Conservation or some other ‘lame-duck’ Government Department gains control of New Zealand trout & salmon fishing and bird-hunting.
Can anyone name a Government Department or group of bureaucrats that are managing any natural NZ resources competently??
The only reason we have any clean un-bulldozed rivers left in NZ is due to F&G advocacy for freshwater on the behalf of all New Zealanders, paid for by Fish & Game sporting licence holders.
Excellent comments Alan there are a number of serious flaws in the outcome of the Fish & Game review, every Fish & Game licences holder needs to sit up and take note of the consequences if this Government should implement the recommendation of only having non-licences holders dictating the direction of Fish & Game. Malcolm a Fish & Lincences holder for the past 50 years.
Jjeez Im proud of this party and proud to be a fishing ,hunting Kiwi, I will fight to keep F@G out of Govts hands just as our fallen fought for Democracy .
Thanks Alan Simmons.
Alan and I were both ministerial appointees on the ERF&G inaugural F&G council.
We had many years of expressing our views, “”not always friendly ,”” from one on one riverside debates to ministerial meetings. While Alan always had the sporting anglers interests to the fore, I was more commercially orientated. One thing I can say with confidence we both agreed on “””Was our opinion of the current chair of NZF&G council. ”’ Frank Murphy Ex Motu Now a townie.
Bloody good article thanks Alan, I didn’t realize this issue, and will be sure to complete the nzffa survey to register my disgust at the govt wanting to run our user pays user says organisation. I suggest an online petition!
Look to the sad example of the take over of Environment Canterbury by government appointed ‘commissioners’ . In reality just a direct thrust to the heart of conservation and stewardship , by a water hungry dairy industry
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!
Someone posting with my name?? But he/she is quite correct nonetheless.
Greg