Cook Islands could learn from Maori fisheries model – Shane Jones

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Sean Jones
photo: RNZ/Angus Drever

New Zealand’s Minister for Oceans and Fisheries Shane Jones said the Cook Islands could learn from the experience of New Zealand’s Maori people in developing its fisheries and empowering its people to participate.

Jones, who is visiting Rarotonga and is a former chairman of the Maori Fisheries Council, said he was well aware of the challenges of the job.

“Our vision for Māori fishing rights is to get more and more people involved in the actual business and activity of fishing. And that’s mostly happening in large companies where iwi are shareholders,” Jones told cook islands news.

“We do have a challenge getting young people, our rangatahi, to serve as staff on board ships or eventually progress to senior positions as captains.

“If anyone is really interested in looking for a template, investors in Rarotonga and the Cook Islands might be able to learn something from the Maori experience.”

Jones’ comments come after concerns were raised by columnist and former lawyer Reuben Tylor about the impact of commercial fishing on local catches and the need for increased government support to develop local fisheries.

Taylor suggests following the model of neighboring French Polynesia, which does not allow purse seine fishing vessels. Instead, it authorizes about 70 small, locally owned longline boats to fish in its waters.

Speaking about the Cook Islands fishing industry, Jones noted that the country is not part of the Palestinian Authority.

The Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) control the world’s largest sustainable tuna purse seine fishery and include the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Tokelau.

Jones explained that the Palestinian Authority is a group of tuna-rich Pacific island nations near the equator, whose territories are mainly within 10 degrees north and south of the equator.

“This is really the El Dorado of distant-water fishing in the world, broadly speaking. While the Cooks do have a good fishery around Penrhyn and similar areas, they appear to have chosen a fairly risk-free option.”

Jones said he knew these things because for three years between 2014 and 2017 he had the privilege of serving as roving economic ambassador to former New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully.

“So, it’s a trade-off. If you’re in charge of the government’s fisheries portfolio, do you settle for international revenue from selling fishing rights, or do you encourage the creation of an industry that exploits the resource and employs people?

“I think the latter has potential, but there are trade-offs to be made.

“In the short term, this could result in a reduction in revenue for the royal family or the government, as they undoubtedly receive direct income from the sale of distant-water fishing rights.”

-This article was originally published on cook islands news.

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