Deep sea supermarket under threat
Blogger: Mid North Branch Member & Greenpeace Communications Officer, Dean Baigent Mercer
Three hundred people gathered on Princes Wharf yesterday as the call rang out from te Whānau a Apanui.
Steve Molloy
In speech and in song their rejection of Government approvals to allow oil exploration in their tribal waters off East Cape was clear. It sent a wave of goosebumps through the crowd.
Vessels from Bay of Islands down to Dunedin will join the flotilla as it makes its way down the country over the next few days to Cape Runaway. On its arrival on April 2, te Whānau a Apanuia will host a hui, so the next steps can be discussed.
At the wharf, people lined up to sign banners that read ‘STOP DEEP SEA OIL’
“This is not about money, this is about mana, and handing over the signed banners that will be used by the flotilla is a symbol of combining the mana of the Iwi with the people and groups that are supporting us to stop deep sea drilling in our tribal waters,” Rawiri Waititi told me.
“Our seabed is still our supermarket, it is still our Pak-n-Save, and the damaging effects from drilling damages our food store and takes it away our grandchildren,” Robert Ruha told TV3.
Greenpeace, Forest & Bird, Nuclear Free Sea flotilla, Coal Action Network, 350 Aotearoa, Coromandel Watchdog and Boardriders Against Drilling have united in this cause – each with their own particular concerns.
Photo: Stevee Molloy
Forest & Bird is especially concerned that another Gulf of Mexico-type spill may occur given the less-than-robust regulatory framework these operators work under.
Significantly, Ngapuhi and Ngati Porou –the two largest tribes – along with Ngati Kahu and Ngai Tai today pledged support.
The flotilla will grow as other boats from around the country from as far afield as Dunedin and the Bay of Islands, head to Cape Runaway next Saturday to meet te Whanau a Apanui on their home turf and work out the next steps.
“Oil spills are a huge risk for the marine environment”, said Clemes Oestreich, skipper of Infinity. “We eat fish from the sea, we love the life in the ocean – the last thing we want is to destroy it. In every way it’s not the way humanity should be going. We have every reason to demonstrate against this behaviour”.
Clearly, the tide of opposition is rising.
