Pasifika leaders in Auckland are questioning the motives behind a proposal to ban set-net fishing this summer at a traditional holiday spot for many south Auckland families, Radio New Zealand reports.
Auckland Council says set-nets, which hang from floats and are anchored to the sea bed, are a safety risk to swimmers, windsurfers and kitesurfers at Shakespear Regional Park.
But its Pacific Peoples' Advisory Panel isn't convinced, and says a ban would unfairly deprive Pasifika families of food and an amenity that's meant for every Aucklander.
Advisory panel member Ava Fa'amoe wants to know whether there are genuine safety risks or whether “it's just people that prefer not this kind of activity in their back yard”.
Set-netters should not be singled out as the most dangerous. “I'm sure the netfishing people would say it's the jetskiers or the kitesurfers,” he said.
Fa'amoe said many Pasifika people fished at Shakespear not as a hobby but as a necessity to help feed their families.
The proposal to ban set-nets was approved on Monday by Auckland Council's bylaws committee and is due to go to the governing body for a final decision on November 27.