Jim Anderton believes man and fish can live together

Anderton sparks row with Maori
Maori political and fishing industry leaders are at loggerheads with Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton after he alleged Maori were plundering commercial fishing stocks. Maori Party leader Tariana Turia led the concerted attack on Mr Anderton yesterday, suggesting during her appearance on TV One's Te Karere that he was acting in a racist fashion. Asked why Mr Anderton had gone on a verbal offensive against Maori fishing interests, Mrs Turia said there was a word for it and it probably began with the letter R. She also said the majority of the fishing industry had no confidence in Mr Anderton's handling of the fisheries portfolio. Her comments coincided with attacks on Mr Anderton inside and outside Parliament by senior Maori politicians and fishing industry leaders. National's Maori Affairs spokeswoman Georgina te Heuheu, NZ First's Pita Paraone and Mrs Turia all went on the offensive in Parliament over his "plundering" comments. Mr Anderton, first at a Maori fisheries conference in Napier this month and in Parliament this week, has made repeated references to Maori "plundering" their commercial fishing interests. Sealord and Aotearoa Fisheries chairman Robin Hapi and Te Ohu Kaimoana chief executive Peter Douglas both issued statements that were highly critical of Mr Anderton's handling of his portfolio. Mr Anderton said "fish dumping" was widespread within the industry generally, involving Maori and Pakeha. He said his door was always open to all parties, including Maori, in the fishing industry. Maori and the Maori Party in particular had opposed his attempts to introduce sustainability measures into the 1996 Fisheries Act, he said. "Maori interests in commercial fishing should emulate some of their people among the recreational and customary fishers, who are just as concerned about Maori plundering the fishing stocks as they are about Pakeha plundering them."

The reality is that EVERYONE is plundering our fish stock and it's a wee bit on the nose for Jim to be pointing the finger in any one direction as this Government has done bugger all to stop some of our fish stocks getting to the point of collapse. We (Pakeha AND Maori) have over fished much of our stock and have employed devastating techniques that have destroyed the ocean floor, not to mention the illegal fishing and the mass trawler fleets who wipe the seas clean of any living thing. As stocks dwindle we start the name calling and finger pointing when the decline was well announced a decade ago. Labelling Anderton racist however is bullshit, because Maoridom have created much wealth from this industry not to mention economic independence, any attempt to cut back their quota will be viciously attacked.

All the while we pollute the seas and rape them.