Tuna on display in Nuku'alofa Photo: RNZ Pacific / Lydia Lewis
The New Zealand government is under attack for saying it would not call for observers to be allowed to attend meetings of the Tuna Commission.
The commission, more formally known as the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), is set to hold its annual conference in Suva at the end of this month.
The international NGO, Accountability.Fish, wants observers at the meetings to end decision-making behind closed doors and improve transparency and accountability.
They wrote to the New Zealand government but were told by the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Shane Jones that the country will not intervene at the upcoming meeting to push for observer involvement.
Accountability.Fish says the WCPFC is the only fisheries management agency in the world that continues to ban observers.
It wrote to 17 member states of the Commission asking them to support the presence of observers to improve accountability, especially at the full Technical and Compliance Committee meeting, where key sustainability data is reviewed and confirmed.
Accountability.Fish global director Ryan Orgera said New Zealand's failure to stop the Commission's secrecy contradicts its obligations under various international agreements.
"The tone of the ministry's response reflects a particular cavalier attitude towards those obligations and shames New Zealand," he said.