A Joel Maxwell story from last week. It’s a bit of a shame that volunteers for this task are needed, but it’s the same principle as Neighbourhood Watch and Community Patrol which is there to supplement and not replace official law enforcement, see earlier posts.
Kapiti conservationists are looking to recruit a volunteer security force to protect the district’s marine reserve, saying the Department of Conservation is too stretched do the job.
Kapiti Marine Reserve is a 22-square-kilometre area around the Waikanae Estuary and Kapiti Island, in which no fishing, either from a boat or from shore is allowed.
But DOC’s single boat runs only about 30 hours of patrol a month, and Guardians of Kapiti Marine Reserve chairman Ben Knight said the department was essentially relying on an “honesty system” among fishers.