STEP CHANGE FOR SEALORDS?

The New Zealand Seafood industry gasped in shock when Sealords announced it had sold its mussel farms to Sanfords for 34 mil back in 2009. The price was considered a steal and Maori worried that the company was selling off the family silver.

The company like many others in the industry retrenched.

Today the new manager of Sealords Graham Stuart reckons that its time to get back into Aquaculture.

Maybe. We are pleased to see the man at the wheel of the good ship Sealord speak so positively and set the course for some new acquisitions.

However there is a still general concern over the Moana Pacific deal which would see MP folded into Sealords . That essentially means that Sealords partners Nissui would end up with a good portion of New Zealands innovative inshore industry for 2 tenths of bugger all.

So we will continue to keep a weather eye on Maori Fisheries interests as should all iwi.

JAPANESE WHISPERS - ROARPRAWN EXCLUSIVE

We understand that Ngahiwi Tomoana the chair of Te Ohu Kaimona is about to be rolled.

It is apparently linked to a trip to Japan, Sealords and Aotearoa Fisheries.

Of course we have been blogging on Sealords and the concerns about the direction they are heading before.

SHOO SHIMI - MAORI FISH KOHA TO NIPPON?

Well we hinted at some issues within Maori Fish interests. Someone has laid down some pieces of the puzzle..

Anyone else out there who has more? Will iwi see the great Sealords deal skelatonised like a filleted Hoki?

Codename 'Mata' - concerted effort from some Maori fisheries 'leaders' to give the Japanese more fisheries assets for no greater control of Sealord. Here Nissui-san, please have some more of our assets... The relationship with Nissui has never delivered the promised benefits back to iwi and one wonders of the idiocy of those in control about this deal. Shane Jones will no doubt be in support though... Another nail in the coffin of the collective model. 2016 - give the assets back to iwi; many will lose them but at least it will be through their own incompetence, not the incompetence of a bunch of nobodys. By Anonymous on WHY SUBSIDISE THE UBER WAKA? on 4/7/11

FIRST WITH THE NEWS - AGAIN.....

Announcement- Ngai Tahu 1 September 09


Sad this is very sad - we heard about it earlier this week. Aotearoa Fisheries buys up Ngai Tahu's dream and one of the vehicles it had to employ and train its own.. Shame on them.

We understand it will add less than $2 million to Ngai Tahu's coffers.

SILLY SHORT-SIGHTED DOPEY DECISION

The announcement that Sealords has sold some marine farms to Sanfords shows that Sanfords is more cunning than a cunning thing and that there are few visionaries left in the brain depleted ranks of Maori Fisheries interests.

It is extremely shortsighted. It is akin to Maori selling land and land in the marine market is a finite resource that will only grow in value.


We had always hoped that one day Maori would own Sanfords. It was the vision of many. This latest decision signposts the future and signals that Maori can look forward to serfdom again in our lifetime.
It also appears that Sealords may be a little cash strapped.It is time for Iwi to ask some hard questions of the performance of Sealords and Aotearoa Fisheries.

SAD DAY, BAD DAY AND OYSTERS

On the way to the Dockside we discovered that Rex Morgans lovely restaurant Citron is going to eventually be based in the new WaterMark building at the wharf end of Taranaki St.

The good news today was that the Bluff oysters served up by "Norm the oyster shucker" at Dockside were superb. Interestingly we were expecting them to be around the $55 a dozen. They were plated at $40 a doz any way you liked. We had a doz natural and a doz tempura.

The bad news was that Dockside was only half full. Now we have been at most "Start of the oyster season" days at the Dockside and we have in the past had to settle for being on the waiting list. So times are getting tough. Even tough for us, as it will be our last visit to Dockside for some time but with the sun shining good company and the chance to eat one of the finest seafoods of the world, it was a nice day to reminisce of better times.


The sad news is that Sealords is laying off about 160 staff. We were a bit shocked when we heard this earlier today but are confident that rationalisation will put the company in a stronger position to weather the economic storm on the horizon.

GOOD ON YA ARCHIE

Now more that ever we need Maori to work together.

Archie has always been one of our favourite Maori leaders, he is a quiet but steely man and very gracious.
It ia times like these we need leadership..

Press Release by Te Ohu Kaimoana - The Maori Fisheries Trust at 10:02 am, 30 Jan 2009

Te Ohu Kaimoana has now transferred more than $440 million worth of Fisheries Settlement assets to iwi - a resource that could play a key role in helping Maori come through the current global economic crisis, the organisation's Chairman Archie Taiaroa told Maori leaders today.

Speaking at Te Ohu Kaimoana's annual meeting which was opened by Fisheries Minister Phil Heatley in Wellington, Mr Taiaroa, said wise use of the Settlement resources by iwi, particularly in the regions, can help keep Maori employed.

"We must look at ways of assisting our people through these tough times - and by doing so look after our country - through putting our economic resources back into the regions to allow our people to manage their own economic base.

"Maori and iwi are significant players in fisheries, and we should all be looking at how we can utilise Settlement resources to support our people at this difficult time," Mr Taiaroa said.

He told delegates that 48 of the nation's 57 iwi now had Mandated Iwi Organisations (MIOs) to which assets could be allocated and, crucially, 25 iwi now had full or partial coastline agreements.

Under the Maori Fisheries Act, the Fisheries Settlement is allocated to MIOs on the basis of an iwi's size and the agreed length of its coastline.

"Te Ohu Kaimoana is putting a tremendous amount of work into assisting neighbouring iwi reach coastline agreements, and a lot has been achieved in the last year," Mr Taiaroa told delegates, including Fisheries Minister Phil Heatley.

Mr Taiaroa said Taranaki had been a particular success story with the first big group of six adjoining MIOs - Ngati Mutunga, Te Atiawa, Taranaki, Nga Ruahine, Ngati Ruanui and Nga Rauru - having "come to the very wise conclusion that co-operation was in their mutual best interests".

He said after many years, Ngati Kahungunu and Rangitane on the North Island's east coast have come to agreement, and Ngapuhi have settled all their coastline through a number of agreements with other iwi.

"I can't emphasise enough that our future success is all about how we co-operate as iwi," he said.