5 November 2012

Politicians sign shark finning pledge

Five political parties will publicly pledge their support to end shark finning in New Zealand at a signing in Parliament grounds on Wednesday 7 November.

Representatives from the Labour, Green, Mana, New Zealand First and United Future parties will meet the New Zealand Shark Alliance (NZSA) to sign the nationwide petition to ban shark finning.

The National Party declined to meet NZSA to discuss the issue.

Removing fins from dead sharks and dumping the body overboard is a grossly wasteful and unsustainable practice contributing to the worldwide decline of sharks. The practice is banned in nearly 100 countries, but not in New Zealand. New Zealand is one of the world’s top 20 exporters of shark fins.

The Ministry for Primary Industries is currently reviewing the management of shark fisheries through its National Plan of Action – Sharks. The NZSA calls on the government to use the opportunity to end the practice.

NZSA members include Forest & Bird, Greenpeace, The ITM Fishing Show host Matt Watson, Sea Shepherd, WWF, ECO, Our Seas Our Future, White Shark Conservation Trust, Kelly Tarlton’s Sealife Aquarium, New Zealand Underwater and Shark Fin Free Auckland.

What: Politicians sign pledge to end shark finning
When: 1:30pm-1:45pm, Wednesday 7 November
Where: Parliament grounds near the Seddon Statue

ENDS

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"Unlawful, Unjustified And Unreasonable": Report Into Urewera Raids Finds Police Acted Unlawfully

Independent Police Conduct Authority Chair Judge Sir David Carruthers said today that the decision by the then Commissioner of Police to undertake the operation in Ruatoki Valley and elsewhere on 15 October 2007 was reasonable and justified.

“However, the road blocks established by Police at Ruatoki and Taneatua were unlawful, unjustified and unreasonable... Police had no legal basis for stopping and searching vehicles or photographing drivers or passengers,” he said...

The report also showed that the detention of the occupants at five properties examined by the Authority was unlawful and unreasonable. More>>