Māui Dolphin Advocates Take Their Message Direct to Minister Tama Potaka
Over 40 advocates gathered at the Hamilton electorate office of Minister of Conservation and Hamilton West MP Tama Potaka, calling for urgent action to protect the critically endangered Māui | Poopoto dolphin.
Representing iwi, conservation groups and concerned people from across the country, the collective delivered a clear message: with fewer than 50 Māui dolphins remaining, bottom trawling must end across their entire potential habitat.
“We are here today as a collective to represent our taonga, the Māui dolphin,” says Aotea Apiti, kaitiaki and representative for Moana Rāhui o Aotea. “It’s on the brink of extinction with approximately only 48 left".
She asks of MP Tama Potaka:
"What are you going to do to ensure our taonga survives?”
Māui dolphins are not protected throughout their full potential habitat, and advocates are calling on the Government to take a precautionary approach by ending bottom trawling wherever these dolphins may travel.
Only 50% of commercial fishing vessels have onboard cameras, and only around 13% of the footage is being reviewed. When cameras were introduced, reported dolphin deaths increased by 700%, highlighting major gaps in how many marine mammals are actually dying at the hands of the fishing industry.
Natalie Jessup, Chief Executive of the Endangered Species Foundation, said the numbers demand immediate action.
“If the Māui dolphin goes extinct on our watch, it will be the first marine dolphin in the world to go extinct. That loss will reverberate internationally and will stand as one of the greatest environmental failures in New Zealand’s history.
"The world will be watching, and the reputational damage to our country and our fishing industry will be immense and long-lasting. This is a situation we all need to take immediate action on.”
The petition calling for a ban on bottom trawling in Māui and Hector’s dolphin habitat has now gathered more than 10,000 signatures and will be officially presented to Parliament in October.
Find out more and sign the petition to stop bottom trawling in Māui and Hector's Dolphin habitats:
