Select committee concerned about Stewart Island shark cage diving, operator says claims unsubstantiated

Wednesday, 30 March 2016

The Local Government and Environment select Committee has raised their concerns about shark diving in a recent report.

A parliamentary select committee has raised concerns about the potential risk to human life from shark cage diving operations around Stewart Island.

However, one island shark cage diving operator said he could not see any evidence presented that substantiated any of the claims made against the operations.

The Local Government and Environment Committee published a report this month after considering a petition that called for DOC to stop shark diving immediately and permanently.

The petition was created by Stewart Island resident Helen Cave and was signed by 768 people.

The committee said in its report that the petition raised some salient issues worthy of further investigation.

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The committee supported further research on the behaviour of sharks around Stewart Island, the report said.

'Some of us remain concerned about the potential risk to human life from shark cage diving operations around Stewart Island, which could be attracting sharks to the areas where people fish and swim.'

Committee members also expressed concern that DOC had not given enough weight to the opinions and evidence provided by the residents of Stewart Island, the report said.

Some members of the committee recommended that DOC engaged more meaningfully with the Stewart Island community on sensitive issues such as shark cage diving, the report said.

DOC plans to engage in a public consultation process after the shark diving permits expire in August.

Island resident Helen Cave who submitted the petition said residents had been consulted by DOC but each consultation seemed to be starting at square one, with residents saying the same things they had been saying for years.

It seemed like none of the feedback residents had provided had been taken on board. There was a difference between consulting and taking action on what they had heard, she said.

One of the key issues was that it was not clear which government department should handle the issue, Cave said

DOC, which was charged with protecting the sharks, was dealing with the shark cage diving issue when it might be a better 'fit' if the minister in charge of health and safety was in charge, Cave said.

DOC director of operations for the southern South Island Allan Munn said DOC's mandate was the protection of the sharks under the Wildlife Act.

'It was because of the interactions that we were seeing, the sharks and shark cage divers, that the minister at the time (Nick Smith) decided that a permit would be required.'

DOC was continuing to look at the shark diving operations, seek advice and monitor the situation, Munn said.

DOC had been working with Maritime New Zealand and Work Safe to deal with any issues arising from the shark cage diving operations, he said.

Peter Scott of Shark Dive New Zealand said he could not see any evidence presented that substantiated any of the claims made.

'Where is the evidence of people changing their behaviour due to the presence of sharks that have lived there longer than humans?'

He said a man fell off his boat in Halfmoon Bay recently and spent two-and-a-half hours in the water and there was no mention of his being scared of being eaten by sharks, or of the rescuers being scared of the sharks.

Scott said a lady had also recently swam Foveaux Strait and there was no mention of her being too terrified to make the traverse.

DOC gave islanders more weight to their opinions than what the shark cage dive operators were afforded, he said.

'Shark Dive NZ provided much of the content for the code of practice, and some of the final conditions for the permits arrived to the two operators with conditions that had had absolutely no input from the operators. Where these conditions originated is anyone's guess.'

Scott said if the shark diving permits were not renewed in August it would not mean the operations would cease.

'The code of practice is voluntary and the company doesn't actually need a permit to conduct the activity. Shark Dive NZ's philosophy is to educate its clients that the Great White Sharks are graceful and elegant fish, that they are sorely misunderstood, and are worthy of the status of protected species. If only the Stewart Islanders felt the same way about the fish.'

Mike Haines, of Shark Experience, said he had not read the report of the committee so could not comment.