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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Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>