New levy included in fish board bill

Press, 19 August 1978, Page 22

New levy included in fish board bill

PA Wellington A bill to reconstitute the Fishing Industry Board and have fishermen pay a new fish levy was. introduced into Parliament yesterday. The Fishing Industry Board Amendment Bill, brought in by the Minister of Fisheries (Mr Bolger) reconstitutes the board so it will be more involved in the industry. The new board proposed in the bill, to be called the New Zealand Fishing Industry Board, -would have the chairman, the Direct-or-General of Fisheries, one other member, and five members representing various sections of the industry. These five would be one member nominated by the Federation of Commercial Fishermen, one by the Sharefishermen’s Association and one nominated by an organisation representing fish retailers.

Mr Bolger said the new board should bring more direct involvement with catching, processing and exporting.

The present board is a chairman and three others appointed by the Minister — one from each of the fish catching, wholesaling and processing and retailing sectors and the director-general, who does not vote.

All eight members of the new board, including the director-general, will have a vote.

Mr Bolger said the proposed reconstitution of the board had been recommended by the fishing industry review group set up in August, 1976, to recommend on the institutional structure which would best serve the fishing industry’s needs. A new levy on fish, payable only by fishermen, is also proposed in the bill to finance a fishermen’s organisation. It will be in addition to the levy currently payable by fishermen, wholesalers and retailers and used to fund the Fishing Industry Board.

“A levy such as this would be similar to the levy collected for Feder-

ated Farmers to finance their activities,’ 1 Mr Bolger said. The Opposition spokesman of fisheries, Mr Courtney (Lab., Nelson) said the bill had the opposition’s full support. It had been calling for some time for the board to be reconstituted.