David Farrar: Very disappointed the Kermadecs sanctuary has been abandoned

Radio NZ report:

Sir John Key’s dream of a vast ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands has finally died, with work on legislation scrapped by the coalition government.

The proposal was announced in 2015 by the then-prime minister to great international fanfare but quickly ran into opposition. A backlash from fishing companies and iwi bodies saw it put on ice and ongoing opposition from the Māori Party and New Zealand First also prevented progress.

Mike's Minute: We need more politicians like Shane Jones

The only mistake Shane Jones made in cancelling the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary was he did it on a Thursday, and as a result the news would have been missed by many.

We do of course already have a Kermadec marine reserve with a 12 nautical mile radius around its various islands, but the one he cancelled would have made it 620 000 square kilometres.