Govt’s thinking ‘muddled’

Press, 3 February 1982, Page 11

Govt’s thinking ‘muddled’

Wellington reporter The new member of Parliament for Nelson (Mr P. T. E. Woollaston) has accused the Government of muddled thinking over the development of New Zealand’s fishing resources. Commenting on remarks made by the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries (Mr Maclntyre) in Tauranga earlier this week, and which were printed in “The Press” on Wednesday, Mr Woollaston said that contradictions in Mr Maclntyre’s speech showed clearly that the Government had not yet formulated a policy for the development of New Zealand’s deep-sea fishing grounds. “On the one hand the Minister says, quite correctly, that the resource is limited and should not be over-ex-ploited,” said Mr Woollaston. “Yet at the same time he is reported as saying that the

Government will not consider closing any fishing zones to foreign vessels.

“The Government is also having great difficulty deciding whether it should encourage the New Zealand fishing industry by waiving import duty on approved vessels, or penalise it by imposing duty on ships which cannot be built in this country. At the moment the Minister seeems to hold both views at once. “It is time for the Government to decide once and for all whether it intends to develop the New Zealand fishing industry or to encourage foreign interests to exploit our 200-mile economic zone. When it has made up its mind, the Government would clearly and unequivocally tell our fishermen and fish processors where they stand,” said Mr Woollaston.