Hï Ika - Ministry of Fisheries

Hï Ika
Ka pü te ruha, ka hao te rangatahi
MFish’s new Pou Hononga take a well-earned break on Wellington’s
waterfront from their intensive induction course. Read more about
them and their work towards the implementation of the Deed of
Settlement inside.
Mihi
E te Iwi tënä koutou.
Tënei te mihi nui kia koutou i
roto i ngä marama tataana ki te
Raumati. Ko tënei te wä ka haere
te tängata ki te moana ki te
kaukau me te hï ika.
No reira tiakina o tätou tamariki
me o tätou mokopuna e haere
ana ki te moana.
Meaning of mihi on page 8
Hï Ika for current news and views on Customary Fishing
CONTENTS
2 New Management Controls for Eels in North
Island
3 Te Aitanga a Mahaki customary eel fisheries
4 Farewell to John Bishara
5 Pou Hononga Biographies
6 Ngäti Kere Tangata Kaitiaki Wänanga
7 People at Porangahau
8 Biographies (continued)
Stop Press
Summer 2004/2005

New Management Controls
for Eels in the North Island
In 2003, the Minister of Fisheries decided to introduce the
North Island eel fishery into the QMS on 1 October 2004 to
bring it into line with the South Island and the Chatham
Islands.
MFish recognises that this is an important customary and
recreational fishery, and a taonga of great spiritual value to
Maori.
The North Island eel commercial fishery, which started in
the mid 1960s, had restricted numbers of fishers by the mid
1980s, but no catch limit. Before the introduction of the fishery
into the QMS, it was necessary to determine the nature and
extent of the stocks to be managed and the catch limits and
allowances for those stocks.
Consultation hui and meetings have been held and
submissions closed in April 2004. In July 2004, the Minister
produced a decision paper that:
• Re-stated key elements of the Maori fisheries settlement
legislation
• Encouraged further contact between fishery interests,
perhaps through the development of forums, to discuss
common issues
• Decided to set TACs under section 14 of the Act
• Proposed a management strategy for the fishery over the
next 10 years to
- improve average size
- increase the number of eels
- halt any decline over the short term.
As a result, the overall commercial catch in the North Island has
been reduced by 8.25 percent for shortfin eels and 17.8 percent
for longfin eels, in comparison to recent commercial landings.
As eel species only breed once, at the end of their life, there
will be closures to help spawning. All commercial fishing is
prohibited from:
• Motu and Mohaka River catchments
• Most of the Whanganui River catchment, excluding
- western tributaries of Tangarakau, Ohura and
Ongarue River sub-catchments
- ponds and dams not connected to tributaries or
rivers flowing into Whanganui
- the lower stem of the Whanganui River within its
tidal reaches
All commercial fishing will also be prohibited from areas of
special significance to customary Maori interests, being:
• Interconnected lakes Taharoa, Numuti, Rotoroa and Lake
Harihari (Kawhia)
• Whakaki Lagoon (Wairoa)
• Lake Poukawa (Hastings)
• Pencarrow Lake catchment (Wellington).
Other commercial changes include the option to use a slightly
smaller net mesh than 12 mm in order to reduce the abrasions
found on the nose and tail of some eels, which affects their
market value.
The Ministry is confident that the new management controls
for eels will lead to the rebuilding of the fishery. Good research
will enable us to monitor improvement, with improved estimates
of non-commercial catch.
We will also work on the development of a stock strategy for
the fishery to identify the future services that the Government
will provide.
Introduction to the QMS will enhance the opportunity for
fishery interests to develop fisheries plans for the eel fisheries, in
which progress has already been made for a number of stock.
Fisheries Plans are expected to be very successful in the detailed
management of all stock, and should prove particularly effective
with eel fisheries.

Te Aitanga a Mahaki
customary eel fisheries
Scientist Ian Ruru and members of his hapu
(Te Whanau a Kai) and iwi (Te Aitanga a
Mahaki) are fast becoming experts on New
Zealand freshwater eels in the lakes and
waterways throughout the Waipaoa River catchment
- and on its rich history of pa settlements and
battles.
They have surveyed eels in Lake Repongaere,
Poverty Bay, looking at their size, age and growth
rate, as well as checking past rainfall and river flow
data to see if there were any clues to the recruitment
success or failure of juvenile eels. This was all part of
a research project, funded by MFish, designed to
assess the present status of eel stocks within the Te
Aitanga a Mahaki iwi rohe.
“We were very fortunate to have the support of
the Lake Repongaere owners, who saw the benefit of
assessing the current state of eels in their lake,” says
Ian. The lake has always been an important mahinga
kai for the generations who have lived around it and
its commercial potential has recently been
developed.
The group also undertook a mapping exercise to
assess and prioritise other eel populations within the
rohe. This involved integrating the historical
knowledge of Maori elders and customary fishing
experts with a GIS database to identify key customary
fishing areas for possible future assessments.
“Te Aitanga a Mahaki Trust see this as a catalyst to
the development of an Eel Management Plan for the
entire Waipaoa River Catchment, as well as
contributing to iwi and hapu research capabilities,”
says Ian, adding that a successful partnership between
Maori elders, landowners, scientists, iwi researchers
and the wider community was an unforeseen but
happy outcome.
Ian counts himself lucky to have worked with Ben
Chisnall, an eel expert from Te Awamutu. They both
enjoy working with iwi and hope to develop a
successful research partnership that provides useful
tools to tangata whenua wishing to rebuild and
enhance their natural resources.
“The vision of Te Aitanga a Mahaki and the
communities along the Waipaoa River is to ensure
that the eel resource is managed sustainably and
remains a taonga for our mokopuna,” says Ian. “We
hope to continue the recording and utilising of Maori
knowledge alongside scientific information to
improve the understanding of cultural values and
improved sustainable management of customary eel
fisheries.”
Aerial view of Lake Repongaere.
From left to right: Rose Wharehinga, Jack Tomoana, Colin Jones, Manu Job, Margaret Edwards,
Ronni Symon, Pani Ruru, Ian Ruru, Rene Babbington, Bill Ruru and Martin Baker.
From left to right: Matt Bryant, Bill Ruru, Wiremu Kaa, Ian Ruru, Ben Chisnall, Tiria Te Kurapa.

A Farewell to John Bishara
John Bishara has only spent four months as Customary
Relationship Manager with MFish, but he has already made his
mark with the appointment and induction of seven Pou
Hononga. John recently ended his secondment from Te Puni
Kokiri to take up the position of Chief Executive of Te Mangai Paho,
Maori Broadcasting Funding Agency.
Hi Ika asked John how he felt about his brief experience working
with the Ministry.
“In the short time I have been here, I have seen a huge
Pou Hononga Biographies
commitment from local and senior management to improve
their relationship with Maori. They were aware that MFish
could have been doing more and took this opportunity to
implement the Deed of Settlement programme and introduce
Pou Hononga to the Ministry.
“We have gone through the selection process for Pou
Hononga and I am absolutely confident of the abilities of the
people we have chosen. In their induction, they demonstrated
their maturity and confidence. They have experience and,
most importantly, a great ability to come together as a team.
“They are each responsible for a particular geographic area
and are using their relationships with colleagues to create the
integrated networks with Maori and with Ministry of Fisheries
staff and management which are essential to this work. There
are still a few vacancies, including my replacement, and we
are all looking forward to building the team to its full
capacity”.
“I have enjoyed my time with MFish, and, while I am
looking forward to the new challenges that Te Mangai Paho
will present for me, I will miss not being able to fully complete
what we have started. However, I remain confident in our
Kahui Pou Hononga and their ability to influence best
outcomes for Maori and the Ministry.”
No reira, tënei te mihi maioha atu kia koutou katoa nga
hapu me nga iwi maha kaitiaki o Tangaroa e pökaikaha ki te
hiki tënei kaupapa.
He kokona whare e kitea, He kokona ngakau e kore kitea.
Barney Anderson
(Maniapoto, Mahuta and Tuwharetoa)
Barney, who will be working with Tainui and Tuwharetoa, has been a Fisheries
Surveillance Officer, a Deputy Registrar for Courts and a Corrections Officer –just to
mention a few of his occupations.
He has six daughters aged from 17 to 34 years and 13 grandchildren.
“The biggest challenge will be getting our people to understand where the
Ministry is coming from. Each is going down a separate path, but wanting to achieve
the same outcomes. The challenge is to bring those pathways together.”
Email barney.anderson@fish.govt.nz, mobile 021 532 925.
Mokohiti Brown
(Ranginui, Ngai Te Rangi, Ngati Pukenga)
Married to Laney and the proud father of two children, Antonia and Albie, Mokohiti
is looking forward to building relationships in the Bay of Plenty and moving towards
the first milestone, the Memorandum of Understanding with the Bay of Plenty
Forum.
He loves working in the area of iwi/hapu development. “This is delivering on
our Treaty obligations, but also empowering our people. That is the important part
and my purpose in life – empowering others to become self sufficient and
independent.”
Email mokohiti.brown@fish.govt.nz, mobile 021 532 921.

Judith MacDonald
(Rangitaane, Ngati Apa, Ngati Kuia)
Judith lives in Blenheim with husband Richard and two children. She has spent the
last eight years managing Te Runanga a Rangitaane o Wairau, apart from two years
she took out to do a Diploma of Business.
“I really like the idea that the Ministry has made the initiatives to build the
Treaty relationship and is not just paying lip service but has decided to form a
partnership. I welcome the opportunity to assist in that process.”
Email Judith.macdonald@fish.govt.nz, mobile 027 274 8484
Graeme Morrell
(Nga Puhi Te Iwi. Hapu Ngati Kaharau, Ngati Hau. Marae Ti Pi iti,
Te Moana Hokianga Whakapau. Karakia)
Married to Catherine and with five sons aged between 21 and nine years, Graeme
has been deputy chair of Te Runanga A iwi o Nga Puhi in Kaikohe for the last two
years.
“I welcome the opportunity to participate in some of the processes of educating
our people, sharing with the tangata whenua some of the complex information
from the Ministry. The challenge is to improve the Ministry’s understanding of
tikanga Maori.”
Email Graeme.morrell@fish.govt.nz, mobile 027 274 7210
Wayne Ormsby
(Ngati Kahungunu, Tainui, Maniapoto)
Married to Ripeka, with five children between the ages of 25 and six years, Wayne
lives at Kohupatiki. He has worked as a Fisheries Surveillance Officer in Napier for
the last five years and, because he had the customary portfolio, he finds it a natural
transition to Pou Hononga.
“It is all about development, about tangata whenua utilising their rights. My
job is to provide them with support, information and advice, bringing the
appropriate Ministry person up to engage with them.”
Email wayne.ormsby@fish.govt.nz, mobile 021 683 4324
Keni Piahana
(Ngati Ranginui, Rangiwewehi, Ngati Ruahine)
Keni, the father of five children aged from 12 to 23, has been living with his wife
Tina in Tauranga, where he has been working in resource management. He will be
moving to Auckland.
“I look forward to working with iwi groups. The attraction of Auckland is the
diversity of groups in the greater Auckland area as well as the rural/coastal mix
from Port Waikato north to Warkworth. The challenge lies in the focus on huge
populations and the range of services from the Auckland office.”
E-mail: keni.piahana@fish.govt.nz, mobile: 027 274 8713
Tom Teneti
(Te Whanau a Apanui, Ngati Porou, Rongomaiwahine)
Tom was a Fisheries Surveillance Officer in Opotiki for five years. He is married to
an ex Fisheries Officer, Madeleine, and they have one small daughter.
He moved from Auckland to Opotiki in 1999 because he wanted to bring
something back home.
“I saw some benefits to iwi and also the opportunity for an unequal partnership
to be bridged so that the Ministry and tangata whenua could walk closer
together.”
Email tom.tëneti@fish.govt.nz, mobile 027 276 6564

Ngati Kere Tangata Kaitiaki
Wananga at Porangahau
Ngati Kere called its 17 Tangata Kaitiaki together on
Thursday and Friday, 12 and 13 August, for a
wananga on their role and duties.
Hi Ika was there on the second day to listen to the
plans of the Ngati Kere Rohe Trustees and the Tangata Kaitiaki at
Rongomaraeroa Marae, set amidst the gently rolling fields of the
Southern Hawkes Bay.
The first item on the agenda was the development of the
Vision or Strategic Plan, which was to be based on their Mission
Statement and incorporate the ideals and practices of the
taiapure-local fishery.
We all (Tangata Kaitiaki, MFish and Kaumätua) divided into
two groups to work on formulating the Vision into one sentence
that incorporated all these elements. We finally, after much
discussion, came up with three versions:
1 A healthy and robust fishery, utilising best kaitiakitanga
principles and practices with the support and participation
of the community and all stakeholders
2 An environment that has abundant and diverse resources
and whose values, both physical and spiritual, are understood
and respected
3 An environment that is sustainably managed, using both
traditional and modern techniques, and that deploys the
tikanga of Ngati Kere.
The next step is for a discussion paper to be tabled at a further
meeting with a view to finalising the vision for Ngäti Kere.
Chair of the Trust Board, Jim Hutchinson, said that although
they had identified where the hapu wanted to see mätaitai
reserves, there was still a lot of work to do before implementation
of their plans.
He called for a return of the Tangata Kaitiaki’s initial
enthusiasm, which was beginning to fade but would be
stimulated by some intensive training in late September.

“What do we do
about all the people?”
Chair of Ngati Kere Tangata Kaitiaki, Tip
Tutaki, has no answer to that question. “We
need to keep on working how we are working
now and we need to increase the level of
understanding amongst fishermen,” he says.
“From our perspective as local Maori, there are
too many people. There is an influx of new users,
mainly recreational fishers, and it is a question of
whether or not the resources can sustain the number
of people who wish to use them.”
He gives the example of a fishing competition last
summer, where fishers were packed so tightly along
the beach that it was almost impossible for them to
cast their lines.
Now 51 years old, Tip has lived in Porangahau for
most of his life. “Up to the 1970s, we had a good,
healthy fishery and you used to see kahawai boiling
up the river,” he recalls. “But when I came back from
Australia in 1981, it had already diminished…It is
basically about whether or not the resource can
handle the numbers of people – it is not so much
about greed as not thinking.”
Tip says that people are starting to catch snapper
again, but believes that there is still a way to go. “The
taiapure will make a difference, because people will
come to know about the work we are doing and about
our aims,” he says.
Kaumatua Rewi (Pop) Wakefield remembers
flounder running white in the rivers and the sea
teeming with turbot, kahawai, terakihi, gurnard and
snapper.
“There have been plenty of changes since I was a
young man,” he says. “Unfortunately, the changes are
for the worse. Porangahau used to be full of seagulls
of all kinds working the fish out there. You go down
today and you will hardly see a seagull.”
Pop believes that the answer lies in teaching
people how to conserve fish.
“If people get used to us patrolling our taiapure,
they will understand more, that we are looking after
their resources. Even our local päkehä know that
protecting the species is not taking more than they
need.”
Top to bottom: Tip Tutaki, Rewi 'Pop' Wakefield,
Raylene Hutchinson and Nikki.

Raymond Necklen
Customary Appointments Manager
As a Cantabrian, Raymond identifies closely with
Aoraki, the Waitaki and Te Tai a Mahaanui.
He has worked for the Ministry for over 14 years, but
has had a much longer association with fisheries in
the commercial sector in Timaru and the Chatham Islands
and developmental programmes in South-East Asia.
Raymond is married to Carolyn. They have two children
and two granddaughters.
“The challenge is to align the appointment of Kaitiaki
under the customary fishing regulations with the aspirations
of tangata whenua.
Then there is the need to
involve Kaitiaki in
Ministry processes; for
example, by having
customary take better
reflected in our allocation
models, and their input
into the development of
stock strategies and
fisheries plans.”
Email necklenr@fish.govt.nz, mobile 027 4994 123
STOP PRESS
New Chief Executive
Dr John Glaister is to be the new Chief Executive of the Ministry
of Fisheries. Dr Glaister, who was most recently Deputy
Director General, Innovation, Department of State
Development and Innovation in Queensland, will take up his
appointment in December.
Consultation Policy
To provide for more transparent consultation processes,
MFish is developing a Consultation Policy Statement. This will
provide principles and criteria for designing all consultation
processes, including the requirements to provide for input
and participation of tangata whenua. Formal consultation on
the draft Consultation Policy Statement is scheduled to begin
in mid January 2005.
Mihi Translation
Our mihi extends a greeting to everyone as we near the months of
summer, a time for people to swim and fish.
We ask that our children and mokopuna are kept safe as they play
at the beach.
Ministry of Fisheries Offices
Head Office ASB Bank House
101-103 The Terrace, Wellington
PO Box 1020, Wellington
Tel 04 470 2600
Auckland 608 Rosebank Rd, Avondale
PO Box 19 747, Auckland
Tel 09 820 1990
Blenheim State Highway 1, Main Rd
PO Box 1007, Blenheim
Tel 03 579 1088
Chatham Islands Wharf Rd,
PO Box 72, Waitangi
Tel 03 305 0004
Christchurch Unit 2, 585 Wairakei Rd
PO Box 8324, Christchurch
Tel 03 358 0812
Dunedin 1st Floor, 45 Filleul St
Private Bag 1926, Dunedin
Tel 03 474 0333
Gisborne 142 Peel Street
PO Box 646, Gisborne
Tel 06 868 7160
Hamilton Ruakura Research Centre
East Street
PO Box 3123, Waikato
Tel 07 859 3126
Invercargill 1st Floor, 137 Spey St
PO Box 1065, Invercargill
Tel 03 211 0060
Kaitaia Braidwood House
5 Allen Bell Drive
PO Box 404, Kaitaia
Tel 09 408 6024
Masterton 75-77 Ngamutawa Rd
PO Box 344, Masterton
Tel 06 370 3590
Napier Waghorne St, Ahuriri
PO Box 12 034, Napier
Tel 06 835 1065
Nelson 118 Vickerman St, Pt Nelson
Private Bag 14, Nelson
Tel 03 548 1069
New Plymouth 31 Wynyard St, Bell Block
PO Box 344, New Plymouth
Tel 06 755 9311
Opotiki 23 Church St
PO Box 65, Opotiki
Tel 07 315 5232
Tauranga 11 Nikau Crescent, Mt Maunganui
Private Bag 12 031, Tauranga
Tel 07 574 5100
Whangarei 32 Herekino St
Private Bag 9013, Whangarei
Tel 09 438 5123
Whitianga 1 Monk St
Private Box 267, Whitianga
Tel 07 866 0549
Wellington 16 Armidale St, Petone
PO Box 38 090, Petone
Tel 04 576 8040