5 Mar 2014

Auckland Council gets behind Maui's

8:41 pm on 5 March 2014

The Auckland Council will urge the Government to reconsider a proposal conservationists say will reduce protection for endangered Maui's dolphins.

Conservationists had called on the council's environment committee to go to Wellington to protest against a proposal to allow ring-netting in the Manukau Harbour.

The leader of Maui's and Hector's Dolphin Education Action, Christine Rose, said that would be a major threat to the dolphins.

She says there are only 55 dolphins over one year old left, all on the North Island west coast.

Committee chair Wayne Walker said it will do everything in its power to stop the proposal.

Though committee members rejected the idea of turning up to the capital, they resolved to invite Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy to Auckland.

They will express strong concern about ring-netting and urge him to reconsider the proposal.