Govt rejects Chch joint fishing bid

Press, 17 January 1979, Page 6

Govt rejects Chch joint fishing bid

One joint-venture trawling and long-line fishing proposal based in Christchurch has been rejected by the Government, and another abandoned in the meantime, because of possible intervention by the Seamen’s Union.

An application by Lane Walker Rudkin, Ltd, linked with Japanese and Norwegian interests, was rejected after the Government provided more than $40,000 for research. The Christchurch transport firm, Williams Storage, Ltd, which is linked with Taiyo Fisheries, Ltd, of Japan, through Taimoana Fisheries (Christchurch), Ltd, said yesterday that it would renew its application “after the dust settled.” The Lane Walker Rudkin application was made through a subsidiary, Mathias Meats, Ltd. The consortium’s operations manager (Mr M. A. Stevens) said yesterday that a letter from the Minister of Fisheries (Mr Maclntyre) received on Monday had said the application was declined after all jointventure fishing proposals were considered in the light of their potential benefit to New Zealand.

Mr Stevens said that an interview would be sought with Mr Maclntyre. “It seems strange after we were given so much money for research,” he said.

The consortium was committed so heavily that it intended to continue its bid.

Mr A. G. Williams, of Williams Storage, Ltd, said that the consortium he was linked with would not make any early moves. “Export fish opportunities and prices are well down at present,” he said. “We are going to wait and see if some of these joint ventures work, and there is also a problem because the Seamen’s Union wants its members to work on the fishing vessels,” Mr Williams said. The union made a bid to have its members, placed on the West German trawler which arrived in New Zealand recently for the Southland jointventure project.

“From experience I would say that the Seamen’s Union would disadvantage many jointventure proposals,” Mr Williams said. “I would prefer to wait and see what happens over

this move,” he said. The secretary of the South Island branch of the Seamen’s Union (Mr T. B. Stuart) was on leave yesterday and unavailable for comment.

Mr Williafns said that too many people without experience were trying to “get into the joint-venture act.”

“Things may get too big and out of control. We may even see a reversion to local fishing or a cottage industry-type project,” he said.

The Ministry’s Director of Fisheries (Mr B. T. Cunningham) said that the Government had made its decisions, and there was no ground for appeal. “However. there is nothing to stop a Christchurch applicant coming back next year,” he said. “Lane Walker Rudkin’s proposal has been rejected, as have several others which sought to start in a specific allocation year,” Mr Cunningham said.

He said that the research funds had not been wasted. “The money was granted for a specific project which has been completed with successful results. The money has served its purpose,” Mr Cunningham said.