The NZ government has again failed to adequately protect the ever-declining population of Maui's Dolphins, now at 54 or less (adults over age of 1 year) There is very little question that current government is bowing to the commercial fisheries, seabed mining, and deep sea oil industries instead of doing the right thing to save the dolphins.
Before the deadline (28 Jan, NZT) we will be sending our highest count to the NZ govt as a submission OPPOSED to SEABED MINING*, so please COLLECT & upload as many LFI VPs as possible.
Read more (below) & SPREAD the WORD!
On November 25, 2013 the NZ government announced their final Threat Management Plan (TMP) for the Maui's Dolphins. After several months of delays, Conservation Minister Nick Smith confirmed the extension of a set net fishing ban by 350 square kilometres from Pariokariwa Point and Waiwhakaiho River in Taranaki between two and seven nautical miles.
350 square km is not all that it seems to be! Refer to this map (our comments included), and one will see why Dr Elizabeth Slooten of the University of Otago, who has studied Maui’s dolphin for 30 years, makes it very clear that the New Zealand government’s proposed protective zone is insufficient and leaves some 75 percent of the dolphin’s habitat still vulnerable.
Despite asserting that the New Zealand government must protect Maui’s dolphin in waters up to 100 meters deep, thousands of marine scientist among the International Whaling Commission, Society for Marine Mammology, and 25 NGO's representing millions in membership urging that fishing nets be removed from the Maui’s habitat went virtually ignored. Over 70,000 submissions* regarding the TMP were received by the NZ govt. (*At press time, we have not received a response requesting summation of the number of submissions in favor vs not in favor of full protection of this world's rarest dolphin.)
In a news interview, Dr. Nick Smith, Minister of Conservation stated
Follow the money.
21 Nov 2013, Labour leader David Cunliffe has slammed the (NZ) Government for keeping secret details of a serious oil drilling risk off the coast of Kaikoura.
Documents obtained by the Labour Party under the Official Information Act show there is a 70 percent chance of a "reportable incident" occurring within a year, if drilling goes ahead as planned at a 1500-metre Kaikoura well.
A "reportable incident" could include boat fires, a boat collision with a rig, significant injury or a significant pollution spill.
Sharing the Greenpeace New Zealand post on January 28, 2013
This map is taken from Anadarko's own spill modelling. It shows the regions of coast most at risk if a blowout occurs on their current drill-site off the coast of Raglan (which is center of the Maui's Dolphin habitat). Regions in red have a much higher probability of having oil wash ashore than regions in blue.
Anadarko’s modelling assumes a spill rate of 12,000 barrels of oil every day for one well location and 18,000 barrels at another. Greenpeace’s own spill modelling report, released in October, which was called “scare-mongering” by prime minister John Key, assumed a more conservative 10,000 barrels per day.
Anadarko’s oil spill data estimates a spill would reach New Zealand shores in 66.05% of cases in autumn and 51.82% in summer.
The information has only become publicly available this afternoon following requests made under the Official Information Act and in Parliament. Oil companies are required to compile these documents and submit them to government. However, the information was omitted from wider documents made available in September.
The documents are also at the middle of a current High Court case. Earlier this week, lawyers for Greenpeace argued that the government’s Environmental Protection Authority made an ‘error in law’ by allowing Anadarko to go-ahead with its drilling programme without looking at these very documents, which include reports on oil spill modelling and emergency plans to deal with an oil spill.
Simon Bridges has repeatedly claimed that exploratory deepwater drilling “is a highly regulated area where we put businesses like Anadarko through the wringer” .
The industry’s own data shows that oil could end up on our beaches. And there’s more than a hint that the government and the oil lobbyists colluded to keep this secret. They simply do not want the New Zealand public to know about the potential for an oil spill.
The whole government process around deepsea oil drilling has swung between utter farce and total shambles."
The full document release is here: https://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/anadarko
to the area defined as Maui's Dolphin habitat, indicates that RED, YELLOW, & Light BLUE zones ALL could severely THREATEN the LAST 54 (or less!) Maui's dolphins with EXTINCTION. When authorizing exploration for and deep sea oil drilling, did the Minister of Energy miss the observing the area indicated (in red) as "Protection put in place by Minister of Conservation"? Not likely!
An IMPORTANT REMINDER: CALL to ACTION for online submissions against Seabed mining by 28 January 2014 (NZT)!
Please CONTINUE to collect & contribute
"Let's Face It" Visual Petitions to our VP wall.
https://www.lets-face-it-dolphins.com/step-1-download-image
https://www.lets-face-it-dolphins.com/let-s-face-it
