QUALITY CONTROL NEEDED AT WORK AND INCOME

A fishing firm is a bit gobsmacked with the calibre of the CV's they were given by WINZ when they were looking for workers.

Now you would think that WINZ would at least take a look at the CV's.

So imagine the companies disgust when they got a CV from a dork who listed his interests as tagging, caps beanies and vises(sic) .
You guessed it - he still hasnt got a job.

ARMED AND DANGEROUS ON 1ST OF APRIL

A Fisheries observer on board a NZ fishing boat decided to play a prank and sends an email to his boss saying they had dredged up a fresh human arm in the trawl net this morning.

Anyway, the company owner is informed and reports the macabre catch to the police and lets them know the ship will dock next Tuesday.

Police took it seriously and even more seriously when they realised it was a hoax.

Red faces all around we here and a keel hauling is on the cards. We have the emails.

For a $1000 donation to the IHC we will release them.

GOOD DECISION

We are delighted by this Rex Haig wont get compensation - we covered it as a journo and had a death threat from one of the major players. It was a very sordid business.

It appears that the legal eagles think that Haig was " probably involved in the murder of Mark Roderique. We think that probably thats a bloody good analysis.

SEAFOOD PORN

Ahh - more oysters ... Bliss. Ecstacy!

SERIOUS FRAUD TO STAY - WHO SHOULD BE AFRAID?

Well its apparent that someone should be. PM Key says in Stuff that he isn't going to axe the SFO and he expects they will be investigating some " very interesting crimes". Well we can only speculate on what they will be. Scampi anyone? Or maybe Hoki?

WISHART HAS THE HARD COPY ON SHANE JONES SCANDAL

We always knew that there was something in the immigration scandal swirling around Shane Jones that Ian Wishart broke on his new online news paper TGIF. during the election. Our seafood contacts told us there was some crap that wasn't tidy, the day before the story broke and Clark launched an inquiry into the affair to shut it down fast during the election. Then Jones was named as number 12 by Goff - not a real vote of confidence for someone who was once tipped to be the first Maori PM.

TGIF has forwarded Roarprawn a preview of their online edition. Wishart has the goods.

We reckon this has the potential to end Jones career.

SCAMPI

It isn't over. It may not be the best career move we have made but at the end of the day you have to follow your heart and hope that the head works out the best track. We still think that there are more stories to be told about fish.

Just to set the record straight - no one is paying us. We just want to see this story to its logical conclusion because we saddled up the white charger and he ain't done yet. ( wont Poneke be apoplectic about all the crap grammar and "hysteria") .

So among the restaurant reviews, the political gossip and the various snippets on life - there will be a thread of fish stories. They will smell bad but they will be interesting and we wont give up till we hear the turn of the key in the big brass lock.

and thanks for making us the 11th most popular blog - we are humbled by your support.

DISAPPEARING EVIDENCE - SEAFOOD INDUSTRY QUOTA ALLOCATION BASED ON SAND?

We have been fascinated with the May 2003 Submission that Ross Meurant prepared for Winston Peters on the Hoki allocation scandal that we have been reading over the last few days. He presented it with vim and vigour to the Primary production select committee looking into the scampi scandal. Then he backed off pursuing it after he got some dodgy advice and some sort of incentive to change his mind. The submission states that the relevant papers relating to the alleged offer and tender rounds of Hoki had disappeared.

On 14 May 2003 Tim Donoghue reported that scampi audit files from 1994 were also missing.

Today we discovered that relevant documents for the squid allocation round are also missing from the Ministry's files. This, may seem like ancient history - but we think that means that this story cannot be forgotten.

Lives were changed, businesses grew and went bust over these allocations.

We believe that a full inquiry of the quota allocation process needs to be carried out. If Winston had done his job and continued to pursue the Hoki issue the NZ Seafood Industry may have looked very different that it does today.

So the question that must be asked - for a few pieces of silver, and probably a helicopter ride, did Winston Peters turn his back on good men?

A LITTLE SCAMPI TELLS US THERE IS MORE ON WINNIE IN THE DOM TOMORROW

WELL THIS IS AN INTERESTING STORY

We here at Roarprawn had as nice lunch down by the sea today and on our way home we were given this story that appeared in May of this year in the Dominion.
and this one here
and this one here

For a start, we didn't quite get the significance - we are blonde - other than being a really intriguing story about someone who was accused of being naughty overseas , who got whisked back here so he didn't get hurt and that MFAT was a bit surprised he got a security clearance again. He ended up back in government service working of all things for Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.Then the penny dropped - he was there at about the time the Hoki allocation was decided .Wow, we bet he knows lots about lots of people and stuff.

SEAFOOD INDUSTRY RIDING THE CONFUSED SEA OF INTERNATIONAL TRADING

Stuff has a good round up here today on how the seafood industry is doing in light of the global financial crisis. And it includes some word of wisdom from one of the most affable gentleman in the seafood industry.

Specialist tuna exporter Solander Fisheries was finding the same issues with its two key markets, Japan and the United States.

Solander director Charles Hufflett said their Japanese customers seemed to be going back to basics and the high-end tuna market was feeling it.

"We are definitely seeing a softening; our agents in Tokyo said they [customers] are keeping their purses in their pockets."

Mr Hufflet agreed it was good news the currency had come down and fuel prices were at reasonable levels.

"The fuel in our long lining business was up at 45 per cent of our operating costs, which is just hopeless. We were making a loss."

He said volatility in the exchange rate was a complicating factor. "Last Friday the dollar ranged 8 per cent within the day. That's doubling our profit or wiping it out altogether. "

The optimal situation for fishing companies was with the New Zealand dollar at about 55 on the trade-weighted index, about 10 per cent below where it was now, Mr Hufflett said. The industry had been squeezed of profits for a long time, so he hoped the favourable conditions would persist.

"It's been too long, you can see that here in Nelson; business was slowing down, it was almost becoming a retirement village again. Things have been very tight."

DID VELA "OWN" MORE THAN ONE MP?

Apparently. According to Stuff this morning Mr Dunne was a recipient of Velas largesse - What is really disturbing is Mr Dunnes selective memory. We remember the events pretty well. It was a very interesting time. We learnt a lot.
And it appears that Winstons memory is as holey as swiss cheese as well. We find it amazing that anyone can forget about flying in an helicopter and as Peter Talleys helicopter is pretty flash it would be pretty hard to forget flying in it. Or Velas chopper which had lovely leather seats in it - BB never forgot flying in Velas helicopter. We know him as a very generous man with a wonderful wine cellar and a lovely wee boat. Oh look! the Herald has a pic of the chopper! Maybe that will help Winston remember.

We also agree with the Greens - there is a need for an inquiry.

And we have been asked to moderate our language here at RoarPrawn by the Old Tassy devil - so we will - but we want to ask one more question - Where they bloody hell is the SFO?????

And we havent forgotten Hoki and a wee few bits and pieces which will no doubt see the light of day this week. We have just been a bit busy gardening and perusing old documents. Trouble is when they fade a bit they are hard to read. And there is just sooo many of them.

Ka Kite Ano BB

HOKI AGAIN

This week - we will be revisiting hoki - remember this in Roarprawn ? The submission which was presented during the scampi trial is known as the Exocet.

And we can see by the website statistics for Roarprawn, that for some reason, there are lots of visits to anything to do with Hoki from a few people in the South Island.

We wonder why?

LABOUR SHOWS DESPERATION -THE STANDARD BEGS FOR VOTES

We love this at the standard They are so bloody desperate they are chasing the rats and mice vote on the extreme left. Their polling must be pitiful. Good to see them put up a post on Winston though - but because they dont know the truth -- their speculation on motive is crazy.- silly little boys..... Do they not know that there are some people in this country who just hate corruption and just want to see justice done?

Shane Jones and Dover in deep poop.

There is more than a faint odour of "fish de rotten" around the Bill Liu/ Shane Jones , Dover Samuels story. The Herald has picked up on Wisharts expose which makes for interesting reading you can get here at TGIF

We knew the story had legs when fishing sources rang us the night the story broke and said there was merit in further investigation.

There are links to NZ's trade in live fish we understand as well.

So expect much much more from this story over the next couple of weeks...

SO THE LIU SCANDAL IS A FISHY AFFAIR.

The Herald on Sunday reported this morning that Liu is well known to fishing interests - so it is more than fair to expect Shane Jones had some knowledge of him as well. We have been told as much already.

So we find out that Liu has donated to the Labour Party and he has been granted citizenship and residency by a Minister who may well have known him who granted the privileges against the advice of immigration services.

Now thats not tidy.

More from the Herald

A millionare businessman wanted by authorities in China - and who has been granted New Zealand citizenship - donated money to a Labour Party campaign fund.

The Herald on Sunday understands Yang Liu donated $5000 to Cabinet minister Chris Carter's Te Atatu electorate committee before the last election. Wagering a bob each way, he also met National's John Key and donated another $5000 to that party.

The donations were made shortly after Liu, also known as Bill Liu, applied for New Zealand citizenship.

MPs from both parties - Dover Samuels and Pansy Wong - wrote supporting his citizenship application.

And two months ago, Associate Immigration Minister Shane Jones approved Liu's citizenship application - believed to be against advice of officials. The Internal Affairs Department is still investigating the possibility of immigration fraud that could result in Liu being prosecuted or losing citizenship and residency.

The citizenship approval had been delayed since 2005 while Internal Affairs officials asked questions of Liu about his multiple names, passports, dates of birth and companies.

In a letter leaked to TGIF Edition journalist Ian Wishart, department official Johannes Gambo asked Liu to substantiate his "good character", given his outstanding arrest warrant in China.

According to Australian authorities, Yan was wanted in China for alleged embezzlement, then travelled to Australia on a number of occasions, first as Yongming Yan, then as Yang Liu.

He was later charged with operating bank accounts under a false name and in November 2006, the Supreme Court of New South Wales ordered Liu to forfeit more than $3.3 million.

The money was later repatriated to the Republic of China, according to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions of Australia in October last year.

At this time, Liu was a New Zealand permanent resident and had been since 2002. He lives in a plush Metropolis apartment worth $2.4m, according to a 2005 valuation, and also bought a $5m waterfront property in Bayswater in 2006.

Liu employs 30 people at his popular Chinese restaurant, Jade Terrace in Manukau, which has hosted election fundraising dinners for Labour candidate Raymond Huo, National's Pansy Wong and, yesterday, Act's Kenneth Wang. He has also been involved in seafood exports with Talleys, Sealord and Sanford.

Dover Samuels is still standing by his man saying Liu is no friend of the Chinese Govt.

An inquiry is the only way to add clarity to this issue .

PESCATORIAL HEAVEN - SHED FIVE

When I had a lot to do with the seafood industry on a daily basis, Shed Five was one of my favourite restaurants to take visitors from overseas and it still is a favourite for a special night out or a languorous long lunch.

My Auckland haunt remains Euro.

Simon Gault is one of the best and I will always remember an extra fine dish of Moonfish washed down with Dom Perignon, with my cousins from Bluff, at Euro , on the day they left to fly out for the Tua fight in Las Vegas... many years ago.

It was one of those days. They are crayfishermen, but the moonfish that day is a meal they still talk about.

I also remember a couple of great lunches there with the media Lothario, the late Rod Pederson - he knew food, wine and good times intimately. He introduced me to Te Motu of which I have a few bottles tucked away for drinking in the far future to remember him by.

So I was delighted to get an invite to a night out at Shed Five next week, which is part of the Gault stable the Nourish Group. The evening is called Aqualine 08 and it promises Gaults finest and champagne..

My favourite entree there is West Coast Whitebait with blond asparagus and aioli. Bliss!

And they do a nice turn with Alaskan King Crab for main.

so no blogging next Thursday ...

Meurant, Tuna, Split Croatia

Ross Meurant is still in the fish business - he has a close association with a farmed Tuna operation near Split Croatia.





Did he use the $2 million he was paid by some fishing interests for " special operations" to buy himself a lucrative part of this action?

And who is the " Fireman."

GAME FISHERS GIVEN LEAVE TO FIGHT FOR KAHAWAI

Supreme Court grants leave to appeal contentious fisheries management priorities

A milestone decision by the Supreme Court to accept an application to review the 2008 Appeal Court kahawai decisions has been welcomed by amateur fishing organisations.

The Supreme Court has granted leave to appeal against the Court of Appeal’s decision.

Clarification has been sought as to how the Minister of Fisheries is to properly allow for amateur fishing interests when setting catch limits in all, important fisheries. The Supreme Court’s decision will likely set a precedent for all future management decisions.

Joint appellants to the Appeal Court decision, the New Zealand Big Game Fishing Council and the New Zealand Recreational Fishing Council, are now waiting for a hearing date to be set by the Supreme Court, likely to be early 2009.

Richard Baker, President of the NZ Big Game Fishing Council, has been inundated with calls of support since the Court’s announcement.

“This is an historic day for all New Zealanders. The Council appreciates the backing of option4 and our largest iwi, Ngapuhi, in trying to defend the inalienable right of all future Kiwis to fish and provide for their wellbeing.”

While the Council is pleased with the decision to allow the appeal, it was not surprised that the fishing industry had opposed the Supreme Court application. The Council was however very surprised and disappointed that the Ministry and Minister of Fisheries supported the fishing industry in opposing the Council’s application. This, especially as they had previously accepted the High Court’s findings and not sought to appeal the case at the Appeal Court level.

ENDS

Background to Kahawai Legal Challenge

In March 2007 the High Court found that The Minister of Fisheries decisions on entry of the kahawai species to the quota management system in 2004 and 2005 were unlawful.

This was an important win for recreational and amateur fishers who brought the case known as the Kahawai Legal Challenge

The findings against the Minister of Fisheries included the fact that a total allowable commercial catch for kahawai had been set without having proper regard to the social, economic and cultural wellbeing of the people - a mandatory consideration in the Fisheries Act 1996.

The judicial review proceedings were lodged as a test case. The case is the first legal proceedings by amateur and recreational fishing interests since the introduction of the quota management scheme.

In April 2007 three of New Zealand’s largest commercial fishing companies Sanford Limited, Sealord Group Limited and Pelagic & Tuna NZ Limited appealed the historic High Court decision made by Justice Harrison.

The Court of Appeal decision was released in June 2008. The Appeal Court’s decision was mixed, with a win for both the commercial appellants and the respondents. Some aspects of the Appeal Court’s interpretation of the relationship between different sections of the Fisheries Act 1996 forms part of the Supreme Court challenge.

Web: www.kahawai.co.nz

This has the potential to change the way our fisheries are managed..

Roarprawn supports the sentiment of the Recreational Fishers case but all recreational fishers need to take more responsibility for recording catches..

With rights go responsibility

WINSTON WORRIED ABOUT NATS AND MAORI PARTY BEING NEW BEST FRIENDS

Winston craps on about National working with the Maori Party.

With Clark cosying up to the oldies and the Nats being best buddies with the Maori Party Winnie has only got the conspiracy theorists and the demented that will support him. Oh and a few race horse owners, and maybe some olive grove owners, a couple of drug taking boxers, and perhaps his missus.

Press Release: New Zealand First Party

2 October 2008

Nats Should Explain Maori Party Links

New Zealand First has called on National and the Maori Party to come clean about their plans for trying to sort out a coalition deal.

Leader Rt Hon Winston Peters says the National candidate for Mana, Hekia Parata, is openly touting for party votes for the Maori Party and he says she would not be doing this without the approval of the National leadership.

“National and the Maori Party have been cosying up to each other for months, and it is unlikely that Hekia Parata, a person of some standing, would be acting independently of her party.

“National and the Maori Party have every right to hold talks but they should come out in the open and tell the people of New Zealand what they are discussing.

“No matter what John Key says about abolishing Maori seats, always remember that National has extremely flexible principles when it is pursuing power,” said Mr Peters.

ENDS