Full House Sign Goes up for Kahungunu Fish Hook Summit

Media Release – 6th March 2013
“Full House Sign Goes up for Kahungunu Fish Hook Summit”

New Zealand has the world’s fourth largest fisheries area and the Seafood Industry is our country’s fifth biggest earner. It is estimated that Māori exercise effective control of approximately 50% of the entire industry which has an estimated resource value of NZ$3.9 billion.

Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi, a major player in the industry, will host the 3rd annual Fish Hook Summit for its members at the Napier Sailing Club in Ahuriri on Thursday 7th March. The significance of this gathering, now displaying the full house sign is a clear indicator that Māori are interested in effectively managing their fisheries and environmental resources and increasing their success in the New Zealand Seafood Industry.

The Fish Hook Summit is divided into three sessions: 1) National Significance; 2) Customary/Research including updates from across the Ngāti Kahungunu rohe; 3) Commercial/International. Some further details about some of these presentations are shared below:

• “Freshwater rights update” by Ngāti Kahungunu chairman Ngahiwi Tomoana. A highly topical subject of great interest to hapū, iwi and the community in general.
• The Ruataniwha Dam project, a contentious subject, will provide an opportunity for stakeholders including tāngata whenua to hear about the impact on the environment, economy, the community and cultural concerns from members of the mana whenua working party. This working party includes Stephen Daysh, Graeme Hansen, Brian Gregory, Des Ratima, Mike Mohi, Peter Paku, Martell Letica, Professor Roger Maaka, and Dr Adele Whyte. This group will be joined by invited guests, Dr Benita Wakefield - co-ordinating author of the Tukituki River Catchment Cultural Values and Uses report and Andrew Newman - CEO of Hawkes Bay Regional Council and the managing director of the Hawke’s Bay Regional Investment Company Limited (HBRIC).

• “Pāua reseeding monitoring” by MSc student Gabrielle Goodin. Gabrielle will share the preliminary results from initial monitoring of juvenile pāua along the Pourerere coastline one of three Hawke’s Bay coastal areas that were reseeded for the first time in 2011.

• “Fisheries statistics within Kahungunu waters” by Kylie Maxwell (MSc). Kylie’s work examines the fishing pressure from all sectors affecting the Kahungunu coastline. This work has created huge interest amongst katiaki, fisheries scientists and analysts as there was previously no combined information about the state of our local fisheries.

• “International Abalone Symposium”. Dean Barber will share his experience of going from Waimarama to this international conference as a result of being part of the pāua reseeding project in 2011.

• “Recreational Fishing Future Search” Forum by Jim Hutcheson. Jim shares his experience of attending a forum to discuss recreational interests in New Zealand.

• Kahungunu Asset Holding Company (KAHC) has undergone some exciting personnel changes over the past year with the addition of some new faces who whakapapa to Ngāti Kahungunu. KAHC has also been diligently exploring avenues to diversify investments over and above Fish. Board member Mike Paku leads this 20 minute presentation.

• Hon. Clay Forau – Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade will give the final day’s presentation on “Trade and Investment opportunities in the Solomon Islands.”

Ngāti Kahungunu is the third largest iwi comprising 9% of the total Māori descent population (2006 Census). Geographically the tribe has the second longest coastline in the country, from the Paritū near the Wharerata ranges in the northern Wairoa District to Turakirae in Southern Wairarapa.

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