17 October 2000

Marine Reserve Application Will Get Careful Consideration, Associate Minister Says

The Associate Minister of Conservation, Hon. Phillida Bunkle, today said the new application for a marine reserve off the South Coast of Wellington would have to be judged on its merits.

“As a Wellington MP, I am excited about the idea of a marine protected area on the Capital’s back doorstep. A marine reserve in Wellington would be an asset to the city, in the same way that the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary and Matiu/Somes Island have become.

“However, while committed to the idea of marine reserves in general, each application needs to be judged on its particular merits.

“In this case, we will need to balance the application against the criteria of the existing Marine Reserves Act.”

“The Minister of Conservation, Sandra Lee, and myself will be giving this application careful consideration, and look forward to hearing the views of all people with an interest either for or against the application.”

Ms Bunkle said that this will be the eighth current application for new marine reserves around New Zealand.

“It is a further testament to the strong public desire for greater marine protection of our coastline – a goal which the Labour-Alliance Coalition Government is also committed to,” she said.

She congratulated the South Coast Marine Reserve Coalition and
the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society for their initiative in getting the proposal to this stage.

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