Marlborough students push on with marine protection battle for the Sounds

Sunday, 30 December 2018

The Marlborough girls marine team are calling for protection of the Marlborough Sounds.

A cold splash of political reality hasn't dampened the enthusiasm of young people chasing greater marine protection in the Marlborough Sounds.

A group of former and current Marlborough Girls College students, known as the 'marine team', are continuing to lobby politicians for improved protection rules, and have impressed the Conservation Minister.

But the group has also learned some political realities. The students attended the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge Conference in November, involving some of the country's leading scientists.

Team member Siobhan Hemingway, 18, said they witnessed the battle to try to change policies.

* Students' dream of marine guardians in Marlborough gets council backing

* 'Impressed' PM Jacinda Ardern thanks students for 'fantastic' work

* Students write to PM Jacinda Ardern to push through marine protection

'It was quite interesting to see them, as a big group who want to make a difference, their struggle to move things forward .

'It's a matter of getting rid of the old rules and ideas about things I guess,' she said.

What started as a school project has grown well beyond that, as six of the eight students have graduated from Marlborough Girls College, but their passion shows no sign of waning.

Following the conference, a scientist wrote to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, telling her to keep an eye out for the team. Their attempts to meet the prime minister have so far not succeeded, but they have met Environment Minister David Parker and impressed Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage.

Hemingway said, on reflection, they should have taken a stronger position in their meeting with Parker.

'He did most of the talking to be honest. We really should have just got to our point,' she said.

The team changed tack, calling for special legislation to set up a marine guardian body for the Sounds, similar to one set up in Kaikōura.

The marine team from left, Siobhan Hemingway, Hannah Dickson, Holly Wills, sustainability teacher Melynda Bentley, Baylee McConaghey, Demi Fearn with Hon David Parker.

Their idea is to have marine guardians in Marlborough, with the power to make a suite of marine orders, such as 'no take' areas, line-only fishing areas, no seabed disturbance and traditional Māori fishing reserves.

Sage said the students had a good grasp of the issues which they had ably communicated to win strong local support.

'I am impressed by the passion, hard work and commitment shown by the Marlborough Girls marine team.

The marine team want mechanisms to to able to protect birds like the rare King Shag.

'The work they've put in shows they really want to make a difference.'

The Kaikoura Marine Guardians was part of the process of establishing a new marine reserve and a new marine mammal sanctuary off the Kaikoura coast, Sage said.

Stacey Wilkey, Siobhan Hemingway, Demi Fearn and Julee Pillans presented to Marlborough District Council in July.

'We need to change the law to make the process to establish new marine reserves and marine protected areas less complicated, while ensuring the public, iwi and stakeholders are closely involved.

'This is a bigger piece of policy work which I want to progress in 2019.

'We are lagging behind other countries in establishing marine protected areas and the Marlborough Girls' Marine Team recognises this.'

Stacey Wilkey, Baylee McConaghey, Demi Fearn, Holly Wills, Siobhan Hemingway, Julee Pillans, Hannah Dickson and Oceania McClelland-Petersen have been making waves.

Lincoln University lecturer Dr Steve Urlich said in his experience, although politics and policy change could be challenging and slow in addressing environmental issues, it could also be rapid and visionary.

'It is largely a question of political leadership and will. That depends in part on community support.

'There is overwhelming community support for increased marine protection and better management of the Marlborough Sounds.'

Urlich said there had been calls for marine protection by iwi in the Sounds since the 1880s.

In the 2008 Waitangi Tribunal Report into the Te Tau Ihu treaty claim witnesses spoke of their concerns about sustainability.

'The Waitangi Tribunal determined a decade ago that the decline of the marine environment in the Marlborough Sounds is a Treaty issue,' Urlich said.

'The questions for the Government are; how much longer are they prepared to let the situation continue, and how do they propose to meet iwi and community aspirations for a much better Sounds environment?'