Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employement make a statement

June 30, 2014 by s.wilson Leave a comment

I spoke to Britton Broun, the Senior Communications advisor for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment today and while he is trained in the art of communication and media and therefore cannot be taken at face value, he did provide some key points to thing about as the Green Party points a bold finger at the oil industry in the wake of a controversial debate over the bids for oil exploration in the Marine Mammal Sanctuary off the West Coast of New Zealand.

“There has been petroleum activity in what is now the West Coast Marine Mammal Sanctuary for decades. More than 20 wells have been drilled in the area since 1975 and there are currently 17 active permits that have been granted in, or overlap with, the West Coast North Island Marine Mammal Sanctuary, including New Zealand’s largest producing gas field, Pohokura, which produces around half of New Zealand’s gas needs. Over the history of petroleum activity in the area, there has not been asingle incident involving Maui’s dolphins.

In 2012, the Government established a collaborative forum of experts that reviewed the potential risks to Maui’s dolphins and what more could be done to ensure their survival. The forum found that the threat to Maui’s dolphins from oil and gas development is very small. Fishing-related activities, specifically set nets, were identified as the biggest threat (95%) to Maui’s dolphins. In response the Government roughly doubled the area of the set net ban in the marine mammal sanctuary and now have over 100km2 of protection for each Maui dolphin.

Seismic Surveying is allowed within the marine mammal sanctuary, provided operators adhere to the 2013 Code of Conduct for Minimising Acoustic Disturbance to Marine Mammals from Seismic Survey Operations. The Code, which was developed by the Department of Conservation and the Petroleum and Exploration & Production Association of New Zealand (PEPANZ), is designed to ensure marine mammals are protected during petroleum exploration of this kind. It is the most stringent formof regulation in the world for the prevention of harm to marine mammals from seismic activity. Under the Code operators must submit an environmental impact assessment to DoC, have observers on board the survey vessel and cease any survey activity if marine mammals are spotted.”

I have my own views on this issue which are influenced by my seemingly undying love for these gorgeous wee creatures, but I do graciously admit that I am in no way properly qualified to pass judgement about who’s to blame, who’s right or wrong and what needs to be done to protect our ocean hobbits.

Maui’s dolphins are now a definite election issue following the Colmar Brunton poll which revealed that a majority of voters are mindful of the last 55 dolphins. I simply wish to ensure New Zealanders have the facts about Maui’s, their threats, and the policies of different parties so they can make an informed choice.

I have presented a lot of material which shows the views of many on the topic, and this is a view to represent the national led Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.