Ending the public right to administer fishing and hunting?
by Ben Hope
A recently released Government-instigated review of Fish and Game that manages trout, salmon, duck and game bird resources sets out changes that are a major step towards full state control say critics.
Dr Peter Trolove, chairman of the NZ Federation of Freshwater Anglers, said the review’s proposed changes of government appointees occupying previously elected council seats, both nationally and regionally, would be seen by many as an agenda of government takeover, not unlike the government’s seizure of Environment Canterbury back in 2009.
Making a takeover bid
The Fish and Game organisation and its administration and management are funded entirely from the licence fees paid by the public with no cost to the taxpayer. “It rips the heart out of ‘user-pays/user says’,” says Peter Trolove (pictured).
Chairman of the Council of Outdoor Recreation Associations Andi Cockroft says that government through the Department of Conservation is making a major play for state ownership of the public’s fish and game resources and sport via the department’s review of the Fish and Game organisation.
“This is a blatant attempt to disinherit the fish and game public of its over 150-year-old right to administer the sports. Would the government dare to make a state grab for control of rugby union, lawn bowls or other sports?”
Not an independent review
Peter Trolove was critical of the Department of Conservation which carried out the review.
“This so-called ‘independent’ review, called for by former Minister of Conservation, Eugenie Sage, highlights a glaring conflict of interest within a government department in which many see their role solely as conservators of New Zealand’s indigenous species – while condemning trout and salmon as ‘introduced predators’.
Ironically DOC has a very poor record in managing and conserving New Zealand’s native fish,” he said.
The review recommends that an elected or government — appointed salaried chair of NZ Fish and Game (NZFGC) should head and control the implementation of the review. Andi Cockroft said it is very clear the policies required to sustain the large and socially important sports of freshwater fishing and duck hunting are the prerogative of licence holders.
“Not some backroom bureaucratic boffin that has never held a rod or rifle in his life, nor can understand and appreciate the aspirations concerning ethics, field rules and recreational values.”
He said there it was bizarre the Department of Conservation had instigated and conducted the review.
“It’s ironic given DOC’s poor public image, its list of failures, its bureaucratic spin and its mismanagement of wildlife with native bird and fish populations declining alarmingly.
Add
- on-going 1080 programme
- its blitz on tahr
- failure to control catfish in Lake Taupo
- doing a back room deal swapping Ruahine Forest public land to help a Hawke’s Bay mega-irrigation scheme,
- failure to advocate for clean rivers and other failings.
And this is the department that now sits in judgement on the fate of the public’s Fish and Game,” said Andi Cockroft. “This review is a twisted formula of conquest by division, state takeover and disinheritance.”
“The call by the review is to strip the fishing and hunting public of its right to manage its affairs, in return for an increased fishing and hunting licence fees to fund the paid positions of government appointees,” said Andi Cockroft.
DOC, F@B and the govts back 30 or 40 yrs have done nothing but degrade our fresh water, native wildlife, standard of health all for the dollars, well by God they will not get their dirty hands on F@G . We need to take this fight to the end which could be NZFFA taking a lead role
We need all the fishing community to fill out the survey and give us a democratic voice to forge ahead .
Hi all, Not sure what you mean by pending subscriptions ? Cheers
If any agency needs reviewing it is the dysfunctional department of conservation. It is ironic they are conducting a review of fish and game with an agenda of state control.
Sadly it is an example of the State controlling a so-called democracy. Erosion of democracy is of major and growing concern.
Fish and Game is finished – a victim of apathy on the part of hunters and fishermen as much as anything else. Some F@G Councils had trouble finding a full quorum of Councilors, and their average calibre (with a few notable exceptions) was nothing to write home about. The National Council was simply a disgrace – a collection of dimwit poodles manipulated for decades by Bryce Johnston.
Over the years there was good work done by a few of the stronger Regions – notably the Water Conservation Orders. But overall it was a limp performance, undermined at every turn by DOC, as corrupt a crowd of lickspittles as ever to infest New Zealand.
This government, if not dismissed at the next election, will extinguish what shreds of liberty we have left. Already we have lost freedom of expression (if they don’t like it they call it “hate speech”, and you’re on your way to the slammer). They have deserted all our traditional allies in favour of the Chinese Communist Party, and are busy converting our whole economy into a Chinese offshore dependency. They have advanced Maori separatism to an unprecedented degree, and if their plans are implemented we’ll have full-blown apartheid, with Maori holding a veto over all decisions and spending priorities. And under the smokescreen of the virus they have given the police gestapo powers and are now threatening to forcibly inject us with an experimental medicine whose long-term effects are completely unknown.
The demise of Fish and Game is merely one small symptom of the general decay.
When I emigrated to NZ fifty years ago I was immensely proud of this country. Now I am ashamed of it.
Dave Witherow.
sPOT ON DAVE, like you I came here 60 yrs ago. Jacinderellla is hard at work turning the country into NZla stine, Gaza of the south,Bloodshed &apartheid on the way.The country is stuffed.I can’t live in a moedi nation state.
The perfect storm, a socialist government and apathetic hunters and fishermen or fishers whatever you want to call them.
Having made all of my substantial income since I left school at age 12 with a Gun and a trout rod, now a recreational angler, i firmly believe this so called F&G review looks to me like a classic case of insider trading.
I would be very surprised if the self, or government appointed players had the confidence of many licence holders? Certainly not mine!
Anything, absolutely anything, the government gets involved in, especially this government, is bound to be made worse and to adversely effect the decent hard working people of this suffering country. But we have only ourselves to blame, we voted for this shower of sh1t after all though an encouraging number of people did at least make the effort to vote for ACT who are the only shred of opposition in Parliament these days.
In every government department there are corrupt people always out to feather their own nest. Fish and Game personnel are not exempt from those who do not declare conflicts of interest and try and capitalise on access and privatisation in an underhand way. The review should have exposed such people and looked at ways of increasing access for recreational fishing and flushing out those who benefitted from deceit. .
The review was to address management and governance issues and to see what could improve F&G as administrator of a licensee funded organisation and to address mismanagement and improve the licence holder’s experience. It appears that DOC may have a covert interest in taking on board an organisation that they may profit from by imposing concessions and restrictions to prevent what decades of people have worked for to provide equal opportunities in their chosen recreations. Is not the task now to concentrate on how F&G can better act on behalf of their licencees and improve that what many people have stood up for .
Good comment. Yes DOC have hijacked the review and turned it into a control grab of Fish and Game. DOC do a poor job of its tasks now. Don’t let it into Fish and Game.