“As well as being home to a wide range of marine species, the Kermadec region is one of the most geographically and geologically diverse areas in the world”.
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“We’re delighted the Government has picked up the Kermadec ocean sanctuary concept”, Green Party environment spokeswoman Eugeanie Sage said, adding criticism that the government still has some way to go before improving its track record on environmental protection.
“As a contribution to large scale marine conservation the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary is globally important”.
Following the declaration of the marine sanctuary, fishing and mining activities will be banned.
Mr Key said he thought in decades to come New Zealanders would judge the decision to set-up the sanctuary as the right one, just as today’s generations viewed the establishment of national parks such as Fiordland and Tongariro. Key said: “New Zealanders value our coasts and oceans, which are an important part of our culture, economy and environment and we are committed to managing them sustainably”.
Other marine protected areas recently announced include the Australian Coral Sea Commonwealth Marine Reserve and the Pitcairn Islands Marine Reserve announced by the United Kingdom.
Groups that have campaigned for the sanctuary include the Pew Charitable Trust, WWF New Zealand, the Royal NZ Forest and Bird Society, Greenpeace and Ngati Kuri.
The area is considered crucial in terms of biodiversity, featuring almost 35 species of whales and dolphins, 150 types of fish and three of the world’s seven sea turtle species.
“The Kermadecs is a world-class, unspoiled marine environment and New Zealand is proud to protect it for future generations”, Key said.
ACT Leader David Seymour has welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement of an Ocean Sanctuary in the Kermadec region, but says the government must consider the costs imposed on private businesses.
But the announcement has surprised fishing and mining companies.
“We’ve still got the Maui’s Dolphins to protect, water quality to improve, and National is taking an embarrassingly weak proposal on limiting New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions to the Paris Climate Change Conference”, she said, referring to the country’s commitment to reduce emissions ahead of a global climate conference in December.
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“[It] will allow some of the ocean’s most exploited and threatened species to not only recover but flourish”.
