The Court of Appeal has classified shark cage diving as “hunting or killing”, meaning it is now an offence under the Wildlife Act.
While pāua divers and the Stewart Island community are celebrating the decision, TIA believes the ruling is based on outdated legislation.
“It’s disappointing to see that an activity previously approved by the Department of Conservation can no longer exist,” said TIA chief executive Chris Roberts.
“Parliament should urgently pass a simple clarifying amendment to the Wildlife Act. Shark cage diving activity should then be managed by a permit system to ensure safe operations. It should not be banned outright.”
Shark cage diving is a popular tourist activity in a lot of coastal locations like Bluff and the lower South Island, but now its businesses will be prevented from operating.
“These shark cage dive operators have invested heavily in building their businesses, in a region where tourism is a key part of the economic development plan,” said Roberts.
Storm Stanley, chairman of pāua industry organisation PauaMAC5 was contrastingly relieved with the verdict, standing with the belief that banning the shark cage diving is better for sealife and keeping the public safe.
“We’ve been arguing for many years that shark cage diving creates a risk for other users of the marine environment and that it needs to properly regulated by the Department of Conservation. Our original case was all about protecting public safety,” said Stanley.
