Role of Māori in whale stranding management
Stranding events, sightings and other marine mammal incidents are reported regularly throughout New Zealand: during the past five years, there have been 446 stranding events involving 1,515 individual marine mammals (on average 89 strandings and 305 individuals each year). This includes 37 sperm whales, an average of seven sperm whales each year.
2.1 DOC's role
The Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978 makes DOC responsible for the protection, conservation and management of marine mammals within New Zealand fisheries waters. To carry out this function, DOC requires information on the biology of the marine mammals occurring in New Zealand. For the majority of whale species the only opportunity to collect this information is from dead or stranded animals. DOC is also responsible for ensuring dead marine mammals do not present a hazard to public health.
At a stranding, DOC's first priority is, and will remain, to attempt a rescue. If this is unsuccessful, or impossible, the focus of stranding management becomes (in order of priority) - animal welfare, species conservation, Mäori culture, science and education.5
2.2 DOC and tangata whenua
The Conservation General Policy and DOC's standard operating procedures guide how iwi and hapu can be involved in managing whale strandings. Conservation General Policy 4.4h requires tangata whenua to be immediately notified of strandings, and involved in the management of stranded marine mammals in accordance with agreed protocols. (Some of these arrangements are formally documented, others are more informal.)
When a whale strands, one of the first actions DOC takes is to notify tangata whenua of the event. From that point, tangata whenua, if they wish, are involved in many different aspects of managing a stranding.
For example, in the Bay of Plenty, DOC has developed informal protocols with coastal hapu and iwi covering key areas where strandings are common. Typically, kaumatua say karakia for dead whales before discussions are held between hapu or iwi and DOC to resolve issues such as bone extraction for cultural purposes and specimens for scientific research.
Ngati Wai and DOC have a formal agreement that sets out the procedures that should be followed at whale strandings. This includes specific guidelines for data collection and the provision of scientific samples by Ngati Wai, and a detailed health and safety plan for when Ngati Wai leads the recovery of cultural materials. In the last ten years, Ngati Wai has carried out resource recovery of more than one hundred and thirty whales.
For a number of years DOC has worked, either directly or through training and agreements, with other iwi or hapu of stranding sites to recover (flense and clean) whale bone.
2.3 Treaty settlements
Conservation Protocols that are issued by the Minister of Conservation in Treaty Settlements generally include a specific section on marine mammals, including whale strandings. The protocols are negotiated and agreed between the Crown and the claimant group. They provide for iwi interests and also facilitate the gathering of scientific information to assist with the conservation of marine mammals.
Protocols guide the management of strandings in the Protocol Area, and the recovery by tangata whenua of bone for cultural purposes from dead marine mammals. They generally include references to the management of the scientific research interests in marine mammal strandings.
2.4 Science at strandings
DOC seeks a collaborative approach with iwi and scientists to determine access to dead marine mammals. When considering permit applications for scientific research, DOC gives a higher priority to research that will provide information that will help the protection and management of whales. DOC also requires the applications to be discussed with hapu or iwi.
Dead whales can provide useful scientific information, such as species identification, or to assist in gaining a better understanding of the life history of whales. Bones are sometimes kept for teaching purposes and the display of skeletons.
Some of the scientific study of strandings aims to identify obvious signs of injury (including marks and changes in bones) to determine cause of death. This is of interest in relation to strandings and the potential impacts of incidents such as seismic exploration and ship strike.
2.5 A statutory framework
It has been suggested that the role of iwi/hapu in the management of whale strandings be acknowledged in the Marine Mammals Protection Act.
A statutory framework needs to preserve the flexibility of the current non-statutory framework by allowing for enabling processes that enable tangata whenua and DOC offices to work out the best arrangements for each rohe, and to readily adapt or modify these as circumstances change.
The Marine Mammals Protection Act could be amended so that:
- the Minister of Conservation or DOC would be required to consult with and have particular regard to views of iwi or hapu who are tangata whenua when preparing any local level statutory or non-statutory plans or documents in respect of whale strandings;
and
- the Minister of Conservation could issue agreements with iwi regarding the management of whale strandings. The Act would state that the Crown must comply with the agreement when exercising its functions and powers.
Do you have any comment on this proposal? Can you suggest any better ways to provide for the relationship between Mäori and whales at strandings?
5 Department of Conservation Marine Mammal Action Plan for 2005-2010.
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