Marine pest management plans opposed

• Date: 08 April 2021
• Published date: 08 April 2021
• Publication title: Northland Age, The

Spokesman Klaus Kurz said the council was now in the process of putting “new wine in old bottles” with its “inconsistent” plan, which boat owners and ratepayers would pay for, incorrectly claiming that leisure boats were the main vectors for spreading marine pests, and predicting better results than had been achieved in the past.

Kurz, a marine biologist and former naval commander, said in ancient times wine was stored in leather flasks.

“When they were new they were little challenged, but they became brittle and useless over time,” he said.

“This metaphor applies to the NRC’s new plans, clearly showing what to expect when packaging their current practice in a new way, which makes it appear to be a superior method, particularly with the intention of making it attractive to the doubting, if not opposing, public.

“Should the bureaucrats succeed again, you can be sure that the old, flawed process will fail on an even larger scale, at much higher costs for ratepayers.”

The Marine Pest Management Plan, he said, and...