Waatea News Update

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Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

International future for Sealord

Outgoing Sealord chief executive Doug McKay says the future for New Zealand's largest fishing company is in international growth.

Mr McKay leaves the Maori-Japanese owned company at the end of April to head up Independent Liquor Company, Tegel and Griffins.

During his five years at the helm Sealord achieved record profits and revenue growth despite the high New Zealand dollar, fuel price fluctuations, quota cuts and other challenges.

Mr McKay says the quota management system means there is a limit to how much companies can grow in the New Zealand fishery, so expansion is essential.

He says almost two thirds of the fish it sells now comes from outside New Zealand waters.

“We've settled on international expansion and aquaculture and fish that we buy off other people, and try to be the people that have got the smarts in the middle between the customer and the supplier and with our unique knowledge of the fishing industry and with our marketing expertise that we’ve developed over the years, we’ve found ourselves a strategy that works in the fishing industry and we’ve benefited from that,” Mr McKay says.

He says Sealord is in good shape for its next phase of growth.

WEBSITE TO SHAME POLLUTERS

A Palmerston North environmentalist hopes a 'Name & Shame' website will stop major companies polluting the Manawatu River.

Malcolm Mulholland organised a hikoi last year to raise awareness of pollution in the river.

He says the Manawatu District Council is now taking a tougher line on non-compliance with resource consents, but it may be too little, too late.

Mr Mulholland says the planned website may be a better way to pressure companies to clean up their act - and the river.

“That website will constantly be in the public eye. People can sign an online petition and we’re also looking to write an open letter and to send it off to some of the major export markets who Fonterra deals with to say you buy x amount from Fonterra, but did you know this is the way they treat their local community,” Mr Mulholland says.

Malcolm Mulholland plans another hikoi over the next month visiting marae along the Manawatu riverside.

TUWHARE WORTHY OF FILM

Maori actor Rawiri Paretene says a film should made on the life of poet Hone Tuwhare.

The Otara-raised actor is looking forward to revisiting his narrator's role in the stage production about Tuwhare's work which will be part of the AK07 festival in Auckland in March.

The play was greeted with glowing reviews and sell-out performances when it played in Wellington last year.

Mr Paratene says after studying Tuwhare's writings, he has the utmost respect for the 85 year old poet's work.

“I get to tell Hone Tuwhare’s life story. It’s a fantastic, uplifting celebratory piece and a really fitting tribute to a remarkable man who I hope to play in a future film one day,” Mr Paratene says.

IWI LEASING QUOTA TO MAORI COMPANY

Sealord Group chief executive Doug McKay says the fisheries settlement allocation process has helped the company increase the share of Maori quota it catches and markets.

Although Sealord is owned 50-50 by pan-Maori company Aotearoa Fisheries and Japanese giant Nissui, iwi have always had a choice about who they get to fish their quota.

Mr McKay says as iwi have gone through the mandating process required to pick up their share of the fisheries settlement, the way the quota is managed has changed.

“When it was all care no responsibility, you might do certain things in a certain way, but now that the responsibility rests right back with the iwi owners themselves, we’re finding that responsible operators like ourselves are the ones that iwi are naturally gravitating to,” Mr McKay says.

Mr McKay leaves Sealord at the end of April to head up Independent Liquors, but says the company is well placed for further expansion into overseas markets.

MIGRANTS KEEN TO LEAN MORE HISTORY

National Party list MP Pansy Wong says there exists a willingness among migrant communities to learn about New Zealand history and the Treaty of Waitangi, but there are limited opportunities to do so.

The first Asian MP to enter New Zealand Parliament says the government rejected her suggestion three years ago that new arrivals take a course on New Zealand history.

Mrs Wong says it was a lost opportunity.

“For people who migrate to New Zealand, I would say all of them would welcome if we had some accessible way to learn about New Zealand,. But what have we doen to educate them about New Zealand system, history, Maori, Treaty of Waitangi etc,” Ms Wong says.

She says even New Zealand born citizens have little exposure to the history of this land and its people through the school system, and the new curriculum means that will get even worse in future.

SOAPY SKILLS ON THE WAY

Veteran Maori actor Rawiri Paratene says a growing pool of skilled Maori television professionals means a prime time soap opera in te reo could soon be possible.

Mr Paratene has been directing episodes of Korero Mai on Maori Television.

He says the programme, which aims to teach Maori language in an entertaining way, is similar to a soap.

Mr Paratene says he's impressed by the growing confidence of Maori writers and actors.

“We've been getting a lot of young actors who are really strong with the reo but have had no experience as performers for camera, and similarly for writers, really skilled with the reo, but no real experience with writing drama, and it’s a lot more difficult than it looks,” Mr Paratene says.

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