A Northland commercial fisher has been fined $50,625 for under reporting and selling green mussel spat and was also ordered to pay $53,540 in reparation to Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
Commercial fishers and Licenced Fish Receivers can only land what their quota rights or annual catch entitlement (ACE) entitles them to. Without quota rights or ACE, anything landed above their entitlement means a penalty, called deemed value, must be paid to the MPI.
Following a guilty plea, Daniel John Lovell (48) was sentenced (21/3/25) on one charge under the Fisheries Act in the Kaitaia District Court, following a successful prosecution by the MPI.
“For the 2021/22 fishing year, our inquiries found Mr Lovell sold 1,738 kg more of green lipped mussel spat than he reported on his Monthly Harvest Report. His offending continued into 2022/23 where he reported taking no spat, yet our sales inquiries found he had sold 939 kilogram of spat to marine farmers.
“Mr Lovell’s deliberate non-reporting meant he directly benefited from not paying $53,540 in deemed value. The vast majority of the fishing industry do the right thing. Mr Lovell undermined the Quota Management System and the sustainability of our shared fishing resources,” says Fisheries New Zealand regional manager Fisheries Compliance North, Andre Espinoza.
“Fishery officers discovered this illegal behaviour after finding the invoices shared between Mr Lovell and his buyers did not add up. When we find evidence of non- compliance with the rules under the Fisheries Act, we take action,” Mr Espinoza says.
MPI encourages people to report suspected illegal activity through the ministry’s 0800 4 POACHER number (0800 476 224)
For further information and general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 00 83 33 or email info@mpi.govt.nz
For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.
The Maritime Union says an appeal by former Port of Auckland CEO Tony Gibson against health and safety conviction should be dismissed.
On 26 November 2024, the Auckland District Court held that former Ports of Auckland (POAL) CEO Tony Gibson had failed to exercise his duty of due diligence as an officer of a PCBU (Person conducting a business or undertaking) under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.
Industry regulator Maritime NZ laid charges against Mr Gibson after the death of a stevedore, Pala’amo Kalati, in 2020.
The Union understands an appeal has been lodged.
Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Carl Findlay says the conviction of Mr Gibson was an important public recognition of the harm he had caused.
“One thing we found when Tony Gibson was in charge at the Port was that he always saw himself as right, and saw everyone else as wrong.”
“This attitude would have fatal consequences.”
He says Mr Gibson’s regime at Port of Auckland saw multiple deaths and serious injuries, sustained attacks on the workforce, and a failed automation project that cost Aucklanders hundreds of millions of dollars.
Mr Findlay says the successful recovery of the Port of Auckland since Mr Gibson’s resignation in 2021 confirm previous problems were down to poor management.
“It has taken several years to turn around the Port but we have done it.”
Mr Findlay says the recent reappointment of Tony Gibson to a board position at Marsden Maritime Holdings (MMH) in Northland is a travesty.
“There is no way Tony Gibson should have been appointed to any senior business role, let alone the Board of a maritime and port company.”
Marsden Maritime Holdings is a New Zealand Exchange-listed (NZX) company, which has a 50% stake in Northport, a marina, and significant industrial land holdings.
The Maritime Union will continue to campaign for corporate manslaughter laws and was seeking the removal of Mr Gibson from the Board of Marsden Maritime Holdings.
New Zealand maritime workers will be rallying in support of Australian workers at Qube Ports on Monday 16 December 2024.
Australian wharfies at Qube are stopping work at ten ports in an International Day of Action to expose Qube Ports’ refusal to take safety, fatigue and work-life balance concerns seriously during bargaining for a new employment agreement covering more than 1000 workers.
Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Carl Findlay says New Zealand wharfies will be supporting the Maritime Union of Australia in their struggle, with delegates heading across the Tasman in both directions, an international video link, and protest events to be held in two New Zealand ports.
GISBORNE informational picket Monday 16 December (Morning) Corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Hirini Street
Maritime Union of Australia delegates and MUNZ officials will be attending these pickets and available to talk to media.
Mr Findlay says Qube management need to be aware their actions in Australia will have consequences for their brand and credibility internationally unless they change their attitude towards their workforce.
He says the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) and the Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) will be “acting as one.”
Qube Ports in Australia is an ASX listed behemoth which has extracted mega-profits in recent years from the productivity delivered by their hard working employees, and has doggedly refused to sit down and negotiate a new agreement with their workforce.
The MUA says Qube has repeatedly dismissed safety and fatigue concerns and declared it unprofitable to operate a business which takes safety seriously.
While wharfies’ pay has gone backwards against inflation, executive bonuses and shareholder dividends have soared. Over the last four years, Qube profits have jumped by 148%.
The MUA has repeatedly called on the company to return to the bargaining table and engage meaningfully with the safety, fatigue and work-life balance concerns that Qube employees are raising.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) scientists are part of an international team developing a low-cost diagnostic tool that could significantly improve food crop production in developing countries.
The rapid test uses a combination of chemistries to identify plant disease and will allow growers to remove unhealthy plants in the field early in their growing season, enabling them to increase crop production of important food sources such as maize.
MPI’s Plant Health and Environment Laboratory (PHEL) scientists are working with researchers at Northwestern University (NU) in Illinois, to build the PlantdX2.0 tool, which has shown positive results in field trials in New Zealand and Kenya.
The ultimate aim of the project is to produce a test line read out system, like Covid RAT tests, that farmers can use in the field to test their crops for specific diseases.
PHEL Team Manager Virology and Phytoplasmology, Jeremy Thompson, says early prototypes of the test were trialled in New Zealand for detecting virus infection in symptomless tomato plants.
“More recently the tests have been trialled on food crops in Kenya’s Maseno area where beans, sweet potato and maize are some of the main staple crops.
“The test will be particularly useful for growers in developing countries who don’t have access to conventional testing for disease and often unknowingly propagate from diseased plants, lowering the yield of their crops.
“Much higher yields can be achieved if growers can identify and remove diseased plants from the field early,” Dr Thompson says.
The project is funded by a $1 million USD grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which supports projects to advance developing countries, and led by Julius Lucks, Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at NU.
Mid-way through the 2-year trial, the goal is to produce a tool that is cheap to make and easy for farmers to use.
Dr Thompson says the test could also be used by farmers in New Zealand and other developed countries to improve crop production.
“The project is looking to make the technology available to New Zealand farmers and growers to test for specific viruses or diseases in crops.
“While the focus of this research is to develop a reliable diagnostic tool for plants, the test could also in future be applied to animal and human health.”
For further information and general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 00 83 33 or email info@mpi.govt.nz
For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.
The Maritime Union says the reappointment of disgraced former Ports of Auckland CEO Tony Gibson to a director position at Marsden Maritime Holdings (MMH) is a travesty and an insult to the memory of workers killed and injured on the job.
Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Carl Findlay says workers are in disbelief at the absolute lack of judgement shown by MMH.
Mr Gibson was found guilty in November 2024 of a health and safety charge stemming from his former role as CEO of Port of Auckland Limited.
Maritime NZ laid charges against Mr Gibson under the Health and Safety at Work Act after the death of a stevedore, Pala’amo Kalati, in 2020.
Marsden Maritime Holdings is a New Zealand Exchange-listed (NZX) company, which has a 50% stake in Northport, a marina, and significant industrial land holdings.
Mr Findlay says the news shocked workers who lived through the Gibson years at Port of Auckland, which saw deaths and serious injuries, sustained attacks on the workforce, and a failed automation project that cost Aucklanders hundreds of millions of dollars before Mr Gibson’s resignation.
Mr Findlay says there is a culture of impunity for directors and senior managers.
“What more does it take for a public company to say time to go?”
Mr Findlay says it’s a case of “jobs for the boys” and a glaring example of the double standard applied, as workers would be sacked for far less serious offences and find it hard to get back into work.
“The corporate elite need to get the message that the working-class majority are getting sick and tired of seeing this entitled self-serving attitude.”
He says the Maritime Union congratulates Port of Auckland, a minority shareholder in MMH, for its principled decision voting against Mr Gibson’s reappointment.
Mr Findlay says the stance of the New Zealand Shareholders Association who directed proxy votes against the reappointment was also a responsible course of action.
He says MMH CEO Rosie Mercer should retract her praise of Mr Gibson.
“Let’s be absolutely clear – there are families who will be missing someone this Christmas because of avoidable workplace deaths. Marsden Maritime Holdings should be ashamed at this insult to the memories of workers who lost their lives.”
He says the Maritime Union would be following the issue up with Northland Regional Council and would be seeking the removal of Mr Gibson from the MMH Board.
The Maritime Union would continue to campaign for corporate manslaughter laws.
The Union representing Cook Strait ferry workers has expressed amazement at the Government’s announcement today on the Cook Strait ferries.
Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Carl Findlay says the Government has just kicked the can down the road on hard decisions once again.
“The only real announcement today was Nicola Willis announcing she will soon be sacked from the Finance portfolio.”
The appointment of Winston Peters as Minister for Rail and the setting up of a Schedule 4 entity to procure ferries were widely expected, he says.
He says no costs were provided by the Finance Minister and the Government was using commercial confidentiality as a fig leaf to conceal how its decisions had led New Zealand into a very expensive dead end.
Mr Findlay says the Finance Minister’s claims that her ferry deal would be cheaper than the iRex project had no credibility.
“How can she make such bold assurances when she hasn’t got a deal or even a confirmed plan?”
He says the only clear information available was that the ferries would be smaller and less capable, with no information about port side infrastructure.
The suggestion of private operators being involved created more confusion, he says.
“What New Zealand wanted today was certainty and a path forward, and what we got was an admission of failure from the Minister of Finance.”
Mr Findlay says the appointment of Winston Peters as Minister of Rail was an interesting situation, as Mr Peters understood the New Zealand rail network requires rail enabled ferries, unlike the Minister of Finance.
He says there is still an opportunity for New Zealanders to insist the Government procure fit for purpose rail enabled ferries.
“In the meantime, the future of this essential infrastructure hangs in the balance.”
A Nelson commercial fisher who failed to continuously operate an electronic monitoring device while fishing, has been fined $34,000.
Regulations require all commercial fishers to carry and use a geospatial positioning device which transmits data to the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) showing a vessel’s location and enabling Fisheries New Zealand to compare the data with the vessel’s catch reports.
Campbell David McManaway (61) was sentenced (18 March) in the Nelson District Court on 2 charges under fisheries regulations following a successful prosecution by MPI.
“All commercial fishing vessels must have their geospatial positioning device on at all times. This is important for keeping our fisheries sustainable because it means we know where people are fishing and it ensures they are complying with fishing activity reporting requirements and staying out of closed areas,” says Fisheries New Zealand district manager Otago/Timaru, Ian Henderson.
When sentencing, Judge AJS Snell considered an aggravating feature of the offending was that Mr McManaway had been warned by a fishery officer that his geospatial position reporting (GPR) was not working, adding that he took a cavalier approach.
The offending occurred when commercial fishing vessel ‘Cando’, skippered by Mr McManaway went on a fishing trip, diving for kina between Moeraki and Shag point.
“A fishery officer contacted Mr McManaway and told him his GPR aboard the ‘Cando’ had not been working during a previous trip and that he must fix this problem before he fished again.”
“Mr McManaway was given opportunities to comply with the requirement to have a working GPR aboard his boat, but failed to do so,” Mr Henderson says.
“Our advice to fishers who are having problems with their electronic monitoring devices is to get in touch with their device provider to get advice on how to get it fixed or contact us if there is a technical fault which can’t be resolved by their provider.”
“The data gathered from electronic monitoring supports good fisheries management,” says Ian Henderson.
People are encouraged to do their part in protecting our fisheries by reporting any suspicious fishing to 0800 4 POACHER (0800 47 62 24) or poacher@mpi.govt.nz
For further information and general enquiries, emailinfo@mpi.govt.nz
For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.
*While leatherback turtles don’t actually have a shell, they have pretty thick skins, so we think they wouldn’t mind the pun.
A leatherback turtle | Nathan Pettigrew
What if we told you the largest sea turtles in the world visit Aotearoa New Zealand and that our waters are important to their survival? That they’re Critically Endangered, and that we know almost nothing about how they spend their time here?
You might say it’s about time we learn about them, and that’s exactly what we’re doing in our new research collaborating with USA-based Upwell Turtles.
Turtles crossing borders
Leatherback turtles aren’t worried about international boundaries.
The leatherbacks which visit New Zealand waters are part of the Western Pacific population that forage on the US West Coast and then migrate some 12,000km to nesting beaches in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, and the Solomon Islands.
Leatherbacks have been tagged for monitoring when they come ashore at nesting beaches overseas, but there aren’t many known foraging areas where it’s possible to tag them in open water and study their movements. The Bay of Plenty is one of those known areas.
For the love of jelly(fish)
We have the opportunity to tag turtles at sea during summer and early autumn when our waters are full of their favourite food – jellyfish!
Leatherbacks can weigh more than 350 kilograms and need to eat more than 1/2 their body weight in jellyfish to get enough energy for long trips. The jellyfish-rich waters off the Bay of Plenty are important to leatherback migration success.
Human for scale: Upwell Executive Director George Shillinger tagging nesting leatherbacks in Playa Grande Costa Rica in 2007 | Upwell Turtles
Running the gauntlet
Leatherbacks face many risks in various countries across the huge distances they travel between foraging grounds and nesting beaches. Threats can include unintentional capture by fisheries (bycatch), the harvesting of adult turtles and eggs, plastic pollution, nesting beach habitat loss, climate change, and vessel strike.
Currently, the biggest threat to leatherback turtles, globally, is from commercial fishing. Most turtles accidentally caught by fisheries in New Zealand waters are released alive, but we need to learn how to reduce bycatch numbers to better protect them.
It’s a minefield for a turtle travelling across international boundaries, and we’ve seen a decline in this population of over 80% in the last 40 years. That’s why international collaboration is so important for their research and conservation if we are to have any chance of recovering the population.
Collaborating for conservation
We’re working with scientists who have been studying leatherbacks for decades. Being able to work together to study their habitat use in New Zealand waters will be another piece in the migration puzzle for these ancient turtles.
Dr George Shillinger, Executive Director of Upwell Turtles, says leatherbacks are among the most highly migratory and transboundary marine species on the planet.
“Effective conservation requires international collaboration from nesting beaches all the way to distant foraging habitats.”
Some of the leatherback researchers and partners out on the boat | DOC
While we had George and Scott here from Upwell Turtles, they graciously gave us some of their time and expertise, to help develop our own techniques to catch and tag leatherbacks.
The international research crew monitoring for leatherbacks from a plane | Sean Williamson
Practice makes perfect
Along with our international experts, we assembled an array of technical equipment, and formed a team including Tauranga DOC staff, Tuhua Island kaitiaki, and a local marine conservationist, all eager to embrace the challenge of finding and netting such large animals.
Heading out on our DOC boat off the coast of Tauranga one calm, sunny weekend in March we focused our efforts on a large rubber fender co-opted as a ‘pretend’ turtle. Few fenders have had such an exciting couple of days!
The team has now honed the required skills and techniques to safely net actual turtles. In future, when we do this for real, we will have a spotter plane in the air and other boats on the water to help us find turtles – leatherbacks can be tricky to spot from sea level.
Practicing netting aboard a DOC vessel | DOCDOC Senior Marine Science Advisor Dr Karen Middlemiss practicing netting | DOC
Where to from here?
Because leatherback turtles have historically visited the Bay of Plenty, we’re working to build partnerships with local iwi and hapū, and the Bay of Plenty community, as well as collaborating with our research partners.
We’re starting to plan our next steps into the world of tagging, aiming for next summer when the turtles and jellyfish have returned to the Bay.
Everything we learn from tagging studies of leatherback turtles in our waters will help inform future conservation efforts for this species, which is so ancient we call it the tuatara of our oceans. We’ll be doing our part in the international effort to protect a species on the brink of extinction.
How you can help leatherback turtles:
• No marine turtles nest on beaches in New Zealand, any turtle on the beach should be reported immediately to 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468). • Spot a sea turtle in the water around New Zealand? You can report sightings to turtles@doc.govt.nz • You can help protect leatherbacks and other marine animals by preventing plastics and pollution from reaching our oceans.
DOC’s Intentions Books (also known as. hut books) are a vital tool for search and rescue. In this blog post, Land Search and Rescue and DOC team up to explain about what they are and how to use them.
What are intentions books?
These green books sit in every DOC hut. They have columns where visitors can record information about their trip plans (their intentions). This includes the number of people in your group and their names, date of arrival and departure, planned route from the hut, weather conditions and any comments.
You can also list your Backcountry Hut Pass number, if you have one – however, you don’t need a Backcountry Hut Pass to use the intentions book. It’s still important that you fill out the book even if you don’t have a hut pass.
Intentions books have useful safety information in the front of them, so it’s worth having a read.
Who can use one?
Everyone! We encourage anyone who passes a hut to fill in the intentions book, even if you aren’t staying the night or if you booked the hut online.
As well as writing in an intentions book, it’s also good to read one when you pass it. There may be important messages left in there.
Spot the Intentions Book 🔍
How do intentions books get used in a search and rescue?
Search and Rescue is often an intelligence-led activity. The more information searchers can collect, the better chance they have of understanding what happened and finding the missing person.
Intention books are an important part of gathering that information.
If a missing person has written their intentions into a book, it provides a last known point and helps narrow the search area.
Earlier this year, intentions book entries helped a search team find an overdue walker on the West Coast. The search team checked hut book entries and found that the walker had left details of his planned route in two hut books. This led the team to where to search and they found the missing walker alive and well.
Intentions book entries from people who aren’t missing can still help search and rescue teams. These are potential witnesses who could confirm to searchers whether the missing person has been seen at the hut, elsewhere, or not at all. It also helps searchers work out whether tracks/traces that they find belong to the missing person, or if they could have been left by other people in the same area.
Intentions books can also be used in searches to pass messages. If search and rescue teams visit a hut, they can leave a message for the subject of their search, telling them what to do if they reach that hut.
What should I write in an intentions book?
The more information you can put in there, the more it will help in a search and rescue.
We recommend that you describe your planned route from the hut in detail, so it would be clear to potential searchers exactly what route you were taking.
There is a comments section in the intentions book too, which is a useful place to share information about track conditions or other things that other track/hut users might need to know. For example, if you saw a wasp nest near one of the tracks leading to the hut, you could write in the comments section to look out for wasps on that track.
For telling us about accidents, safety issues or damage, phone 0800 DOC HOT, or if it’s not urgent, you could also use our web forms to report damage or accidents or safety issues, or talk to a local DOC Visitor Centre.
Today marks the start of Seaweek – Kaupapa Moana is New Zealand’s national week to celebrate all things marine. Whether you’re dusting off your snorkel, spotting crabs in rockpools, or binge watching your favourite nature docos, there are endless ways to deepen your connection with the sea.
Nearly half of the world’s dolphins and whales (cetacean species) spend time in New Zealand waters. At least 26 species of whale and 15 species of dolphins can be spotted here. Here are some identification tricks to keep up your sleeve, if you’re fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of one!
Bottlenose Dolphin
Bottlenose dolphins / terehu are easily identified by their short beak and hooked dorsal fin. They can be seen all around the New Zealand coast.
Illustration of bottlenose dolphin / terehu. Status: threatened (nationally endangered). Identification notes: hooked dorsal fin, lighter belly, domed head and short beak. Size up to 3.4m. Found all over New Zealand). Other dolphin species: orca, common dolphin, Hector’s dolphin, Māui dolphin, dusky dolphin, pilot whale.
Common and Dusky dolphins
Other species of dolphins include dusky, Hector’s and Māui, the common dolphin, orca (killer whale), and the misleadingly named pilot whale.
Common dolphins have a distinct ‘hourglass’ pattern on their sides, below the dorsal fin. They can live in pods of up to 1000 individuals.
Dusky are easily identified by their sloping forehead and dramatic contouring. Duskies are considered to be one of the most acrobatic dolphin species and will live for over 30 years.
The common dolphin (top) and the dusky dolphin (below) appear quite similar – but the differences in their foreheads and beaks make for easy identification. 📷: Callum Lilley (top) and Shellie Evans (below)
Hector’s and Māui dolphins
Hector’s and Māui are impossible to tell apart without DNA testing, but both are recognisable by their rounded, “Mickey Mouse” dorsal fin. They are the smallest species of dolphin in the world and are found only in New Zealand.
A pod of Hector’s dolphins with their distinctive rounded dorsal fin. 📷: Dina Engel and Andrea Maecker.
Pilot whales and orcas
Pilot whales (the dolphins) are often mistaken for orcas (also known as killer whales – coincidentally, also dolphins rather than whales). Pilot whales have a large, bulbous forehead and light grey or white streak behind their eyes that resemble angry eyebrows.
Top: pilot whale. Look at that glorious, bulbous forehead. 📷: Phillip O’Sullivan. Lower: orca. 📷: Richard Kinsey.
Humpback whale
As for whales that are actually whales, there are five main types found in New Zealand’s waters: blues, humpbacks, southern right whales, Bryde’s, and sperm whales. The humpback whale is probably the easiest to identify of the lot, with their knobby heads and extremely long flippers:
Illustration of humpback whale / tohorā. Status: non-resident native (migrant). Identification notes: stubby dorsal fin, black/grey with white underside, knobbly protrusions, long flippers. Size 12 – 16 m. Found all over New Zealand. All whales are protected in New Zealand waters.
Other whale species: Southern right whale, blue whale, Bryde’s whale, Arnoux’s whale.
If it’s got wrinkly skin and a square face, it’s likely a sperm whale. Blue whales have a small, pointed dorsal fin well at the back of their body. No dorsal fin? It’s likely a Southern right whale. They’re identifiable by the calloused white patches on their faces which are actually colonies of whale lice. While that might sound unpleasant, there is no evidence so far that these lice are harming the whales. The lucky lice get a home and a free ride all over the southern oceans.
The southern right whale is returning to the mainland coast after being hunted nearly to extinction. 📷: Finlay Cox/DOC
There are many more species of whales to learn to identify, but don’t despair – there’s a quick guide available on our Whale and dolphin sighting report.
Seals and sea lions
Pinnipeds include seals and sea lions. Aotearoa have four main species of pinnipeds: the New Zealand fur seal, leopard seal, elephant seal, and seal lion. Kekeno / New Zealand fur seal are the most likely to be spotted around our coasts.
Kekeno were once on the brink of extinction. In 1978, they were given full protection under the Marine Mammals Protection Act, and now can be seen on rocky shores around the country.
Illustration of New Zealand fur seal / kekeno. Status: Not threatened. Identification notes: Pointed nose, long whiskers (past the ears). Size 1.5-2.5 m. Found all over New Zealand. Other seal species: New Zealand sea lion.
Leopard seals / pakaka are easily identified by their leopard-like spots, large heads, slim bodies, and fantastic smiles.
Illustration Leopard seal / pakaka. Status: At risk (naturally uncommon). Identification notes: Leopard-like spots, light grey belly and throat, large head and jaws. Size 3-4 m. Found all over New Zealand.
New Zealand sea lions / pakake can sometimes be confused with a fur seal. Key things to remember: they are typically larger, chunkier, and have short whiskers.
New Zealand sea lion. Status: Threatened (Nationally Vulnerable). Identification notes: Blunt nose, short whiskers. Males brown to black body, females creamy grey. Size 1.6 – 3.5 m. Found in the southern South Island.
The Southern elephant seal / ihupuku is sometimes mistaken for the NZ sea lion. A notable feature is their inflatable proboscus (snout). They are the largest of all pinnipeds, and the second largest marine mammal. Males of this species can reach up to 3,600 kg.
Southern elephant seal. Status: Threatened (Nationally Critical). Identification notes: Inflatable snout and large lower teeth. Size 2 – 5 m. Found in the southern South Island.
We want to hear about any marine mammal sightings you have while enjoying the ocean.
