We are asking concerned fishers to come along and listen to the Thames Coromandel District Council Meeting on September 12th at

The Council will be discussing the proposals for the Hauraki Gulf Forum’s Review as one of the constituent local body members of the Hauraki Gulf Forum

1. What is really concerning is the undemocratic nature of the proposals that appear to have been heavily influenced by the manu whenua members that currently represent iwi on the Forum, that may have been intimidated into accepting these recommendations?

2. This proposal appears to plan to ban recreational fishing from the Gulf and to introduce licences for Recreational fishers.

3. Why has this been allowed to happen?

The Recommendations that resulted from the recent deliberations of the Forum that particular attention is paid to Treaty settlements and the current Treaty settlement processes, and the Sea Change Tai Timu Tai Pari process, alongside this governance review process

4. To change the governance model for the Forum is changed to a co-governance approach, comprising equal numbers of mana whenua and other members. To be properly democratic the split if it goes ahead should be 4 iwi, 4 recreational, four commercial, 4 councilors representing business. That effectively hands governance of the Hauraki Gulf to Maori. This will mean Maori and don’t forget that includes the catchments that means that virtually all of the Thames Valley and Hauraki districts to Putaruru; and to the skyline of Auckland city. The motion was Ultra vires (meaning beyond the powers). It was ultra vires because the Chair and the deputy chair were acting outside the brief of the legislation. This means that they don’t understand the role, responsibility and functions that they already have because if they did they wouldn’t have put up the motions that they did.

Effectively this could see the introduction of fishing licences or a ban all recreational fishing from within the Gulf.

This is a very real possibility and practically impossible to undo once bought into law through amendments to the HGMP Act.

5. These recommendations are preposterous. These people are effectively changing the number and face of the committee members to suit their own purpose. How did this back handed rat’s nest of unconstitutional corruption get to this stage?

At this level of democracy, if you could call it that, everything goes past the chairman of the Hauraki Gulf Forum, who is John Tregidga the Hauraki District Mayor.

To be clear when you amend an act, effectively you are changing the rules.
That brings up the question, who are you changing the rules for? The Treaty of Waitangi got a mention of course.

The proposed new structure is unconstitutional, to say the least.

6. Why has the 200,000 Recreational fishing representation been locked out of the Hauraki Gulf Forum?

7. Why have Customary got the smallest part yet they have the biggest representation – it’s is straight racism and bias.

8. Rate payers are paying for this and it’s none of the Councils business – why are they spending ratepayers money on this as it’s not an essential service that ratepayers should be paying for?

Something else which is extremely serious is that the Forum is proposing to introduce a recreational fishing licence. This is preposterous as fishing is our birthright and this ridiculous idea has to be stepped on firmly.

Another issue is that none of these minutes which are public minutes with the completed motions ever get back to the people affected by them. What they have got is a spin-doctors version of the real minutes, all to make it look good and palatable and reasonable that the Council has not even attached recommendations to as it appears that they don’t think they have realized that they have to get a mandate from the Council to feed back to the Regional Council for their next meetings.

The Forum Deputy Chair Ngamane is representing the rest of iwi and of course they want co-governance, but it’s not just co-governance for the water part of the Gulf, because the Gulf includes the Gulf and all of its catchments including everything you can see up the skyline and all the way down to nearly Putaruru. This means they’re talking about the whole of the Thames Coromandel and Hauraki districts and catchments into co-governance.

Now who in their right mind would accept this, its Ultra vires and completely illegal as the chair and deputy chair are proposing to put in place a complete change of governance restructure which is ultra vires.

Why do we want people representing us that don’t understand their roles and responsibilities, and are acting illegally?

The Hauraki Gulf Forum is completely dysfunctional.

John Tregidga and all those involved in this should resign, from the Forum committee.

You can read the minutes at: http://infocouncil.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/Open/2016/06/HGF_20160620_MIN_6390.htm" rel="nofollow - ...ki Gulf altogether?