Private Exploitation of a Public Resource

The NZ Federation of Freshwater Anglers congratulates Doug Stevens for highlighting (‘Morning Report’) a growing problem about which we have expressed concern for some years, namely ‘fishing access being sold for pecuniary gain’. Sports fish such as trout are publicly owned in this country, and live in rivers that are also publicly owned. The fish are managed by Fish & Game NZ, a public body.

It is an unfortunate truth that increasingly rural landowners are either charging for access or preventing admission to these public resources. It should be noted that it is illegal to sell or let the right to fish in any freshwater. It is one of the reasons that the Walking Access Commission was set up.

The sale of fishing and game-bird shooting rights are protected under the Wildlife Act (Sec 23) and the Conservation Law Reform Act (Sec 26ZN) in New Zealand and we are passionately against seeing any changes to these acts.

The NZFFA condemns this reinstatement of the archaic feudal system of private ownership of public resources. Our forebears were determined not to see this transplanted into New Zealand law. We wholeheartedly agree with their sentiments!

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