THE MAORI PERSPECTIVE

“It is true what you say about the dolphin, they are our (Ngati Wai) tribal guardians and as such we have always had a close and spiritual connection with them. They are our tribal protectors on the moana (sea) and our people have a special ability to speak with them, so naturally we too are very concerned.” - Deirdre Nehua, Maori Poet, Activist and Seer

Dolphins are sacred to the Māori people, and Maui is an important deity. Maui created the North Island of Aotearoa (New Zealand) where the Maui dolphin lives. The North Island is known as Te Ika-a-Māui (The Fish of Māui). Read more about Te Ika-a-Māui on Wiki -- a fascinating read(!) Māori names for Hector's and Maui's dolphin include Tutumairekurai, Tupoupou and Popoto.

Government

Here's a list of ALL New Zealand Government Members of Parliament.

National Party has made it very clear that it will do nothing more to protect Maui's or Hector's dolphins.

The Labour Party and several smaller parties including the Green Party, Maori Party and National Party. Labour Party politicians have put in place 94 percent of the protection for Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins.

Learn More

New Zealand Whale & Dolphin Trust

New Zealand Whale & Dolphin Trust on Facebook

Dolphins Down Under: Understanding the New Zealand Dolphin (amazon.com)

Dolphins Down Under: Understanding the New Zealand Dolphin (fishpond.co.nz.com)

Otago University Press (otago.ac.nz)

New Zealand Political Parties

Labour Party (labour.org.nz)
According to Dr. Elisabeth Slooten, the Labour Party politicians have put in place 94 percent of the protection for Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins.

Green Party (greens.org.nz)

Maori Party (maoriparty.org)

Internet Mana Party (mana.net.nz)

National Party (national.org.nz)
According to Dr. Elisabeth Slooten, the National Party has consistently resisted protection of the Hector's an Maui's dolphins.

Enroll to Vote in New Zealand

You can enroll up to the last day before the election but it's advisable to do so right now, so the enrollment people don't get swamped. Sounds like it takes about 5-10 minutes online. Click here for directions, in easy steps, on How to Enroll (Register) to Vote in New Zealand in a variety of convenient ways, including online.

Election Behavioral Statistic from New Zealand’s Last General Election (2011)
The main reason people gave for not voting in the 2011 General Election was they ‘didn’t get round to it, forgot or were not interested’ to vote. This accounted for 21 percent of the non-voters (and is included in the ‘disengaged’ category). Another 7.1 percent of the non-voters said they did not think their vote would have made a difference. This is a big increase from 3.9 percent in the 2008 election.

There were more non-voters aged 18–24 years than the older age groups. Only 5.2 percent of people aged 65 years or over did not vote in the 2011 General Election, compared with 42 percent of people aged 18–24 years.

World Champion Freediver William Trubridge

Will Trubridge holds 15 world records in freediving, an extreme sport that requires divers to breath-hold into the abyss. He’s the first human to reach a depth of 100 meters without fins, rope, weight or any other assistance, and he’s won the World Absolute Freediver prize twice. His life is busy with competitions in Europe and his own elite freediving freediving school, Vertical Blue, in Long Island, the Bahamas. Yet he makes time to advocate internationally for New Zealand’s critically endangered Maui’s dolphin because he’s appalled at the circumstances that are causing its imminent yet totally avoidable extinction.

William recommends the following resources:

NABU International

Facebook group Hector's and Maui's Dolphin SOS

Hector's and Maui's Dolphins

ORGANIZATIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE NEW ZEALAND DOLPHINS

American Cetacean Society (earthisland.org)

Animal Welfare Institute (awionline.org)

Blue Voice (bluevoice.org)

Cetacean Society International (csiwhalesalive.org)

Earthrace Conservation Organization (earthraceconservation.org)

Forest and Bird Protection Society (forestandbird.org.nz)

Greenpeace USA (greenpeace.org)

Humane Society International (hsi.org)

Earth Island Institute (earthisland.org)

NABU International's Maui's Dolphin Defense Fund (gofundme.com)

Nantucket Marine Mammal Conservation Program (nantucketmarinemammals.org)

Natural Resources Defence Council (nrdc.org)

New Zealand Whale & Dolphin Trust (whaledolphintrust.org.nz)

Project Jonah (projectjonah.org.nz)

Save the Whales Again! Campaign (takepart.com/savethewhalesagain)

The Whaleman Foundation (whaleman.org)

Whale and Dolphin Conservation (us.whales.org)

Whales Need US Coalition (whalesneedus.org)

World Society for the Protection of Animals (worldanimalprotection.org)

World Wildlife Fund New Zealand (Maui’s and Hector’s Dolphin Page) (wwf.org.nz)

Dave "Rasta" Rastovich

“There is so much at risk. Wiping out the Maui's dolphin, losing sand, stirring up the seabed, disturbing and releasing toxins, creating huge dead-zones ... this is an issue that is going to affect everyone in New Zealand. Less than three percent of the money raised from these massive projects is going to stay in New Zealand so it's not about money. It's not too late. The Tongan humpback whale population was reduced to 55 and now that whale population exceeds 2000. With decisive action and collective awareness, it is possible to save this beautiful and unique animal.” – Dave Rastovich

SCIENTISTS

Society for Marine Mammalogy (www.marinemammalscience.org)

New Zealand Whale & Dolphin Trust (whaledolphintrust.org.nz)

IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group (iucn-csg.org)

International Whaling Commission (iwc.int)

Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission (iwc.int/scmain)

Otago University (otago.ac.nz)

Otago University Marine Mammal Research Group (otago.ac.nz/marinescience)

Society for Marine Mammalogy (marinemammalscience.org)

Andrew J. Read duke university (nicholas.duke.edu/people/faculty/read)

New Zealand Marine Sciences Society (nzmss.org)

Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission (www.iwc.int/scmain)

IUCN (iucn.org)

IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group (iucn-csg.org)

International Whaling Commission (iwc.int)

Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission (iwc.int/scmain)

NABU INTERNATIONAL - FOUNDATION FOR NATURE

“To have just 55 of these wonderful creatures left is beyond even our worst estimates. Their extinction is really imminent now, within a few years. New Zealand is a civilized country, which markets itself as an unspoilt paradise. They must act before it is too late.” – Dr. Barbara Maas, NABU - International Foundation for Nature

NEW ZEALAND GREEN PARTY

“The Government needs to act now to protect the critically endangered Maui dolphins. At this stage, talking is not enough. The net ban extension may impact the fishing industry, but the alternative is the extinction of the Maui dolphin species. The species will become extinct if more than one dolphin dies every five to seven years. Two Maui dolphins have died in the last five months.” - Gareth Hughes, Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand Member of Parliament

NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER

“I recently spent two weeks travelling the length and breadth of New Zealand, in search of an outlandish menagerie of animals known as the “Small Five”. They may be less well known than Africa’s Big Five (lion, elephant, rhino, leopard and buffalo) but they were more than worth every aching air mile to see. Akaroa is probably the best place to see one of the most beautiful and rarest dolphins in the world. Hector’s dolphin is found only in New Zealand and numbers have declined by about 75 per cent since 1970, owing to damaging fishing methods.” - Mark Carwardine, Zoologist and Wildlife Photographer

MARINE SCIENTISTS

“I think they can recover if fishing impacts cease now. Survival of small populations is all about chance events and stochasticity—if they have a few good years they might be OK—if they have a few bad years they are probably doomed and there's nothing we can do about it. All we can do is control the things we can, i.e. the direct human impacts. Even then it might be too late, but we have to have the attitude that there's a possibility.” - Will Rayment, Marine Mammal Research Group, Marine Science Department, University of Otago, NZ (took the iconic photo of the leaping dolphin)

CITIZEN ACTIVIST

“Dolphins and set nets - a fatal combination. One family wiped out in minutes. An entire sub-species in about 30 years. Shame on New Zealand. I hope you enjoy your fish & chips because the fish comes from catching everything in the nets’ path, including the world’s smallest, rarest and loveliest dolphin.” - Christine Rose, Leading Dolphin Activist, NZ

Christine Rose, New Zealand Citizen Activist (www.facebook.com/groups/1518731841601174)

LET'S FACE IT VISUTAL PETITION

Produced by Peggy Oki, Origami Whales Project Founder and Director, this campaign as a powerful visual way of expressing worldwide public opinion to urge the New Zealand government to take immediate measures. A photo of you, along with a selected image of a Maui's or Hector's dolphin, acknowledges specifically that you want to save these precious dolphins from extinction. Join Let's Face It on Facebook.

KEEP UP VIA SOCIAL MEDIA

• World Wildlife New Zealand on Facebook
• NABU's Hector's and Maui's Dolphin SOS on Facebook
• Sea Shepherd Conservation Society on Facebook
• Earthrace Conservation Organization on Facebook

EARTHRACE CONSERVATION

“The New Zealand Government must stop prevaricating, grow some balls, stand up to the fishing industries and act now.” - Pete Bethune, Founder, Earthrace Conservation

Earthrace Conservation Organization aims to identify marine conservation issues, and intervene where and when necessary to protect and defend threatened marine ecosystems world-wide. Through direct action and education, and by involving local communities, governments and businesses, it will encourage respect and guardianship of our oceans and all animals that depend on them. Earthrace Conservation will galvanize a global movement to speak out for the preservation of marine life everywhere. Join Earthrace Conservation Organization on Facebook.

Surfers for Cetaceans

Surfers for Cetaceans is an Australian based organization committed to activating ocean-minded people everywhere to support the conservation and protection of whales, dolphins and marine life. It's through compassion, awareness, education, media and dedicated interventions that they will accomplish this goal. They seek to be a human voice for and defender of cetaceans worldwide.

WRITE TO THE OPPOSITION

New Zealand Seafood Industry Council (SeaFIC) (seafood.co.nz)

National Party (national.org.nz)
According to Dr. Elisabeth Slooten, the National Party has consistently resisted protection of the Hector's an Maui's dolphins.

To learn more about the Hector’s and Maui’s Dolphin, we highly recommend Dolphins Down Under: Understanding the New Zealand Dolphin (Otago University Press, 2013), co-authored by Dr. Elisabeth “Liz” Slooten and Dr. Steve Dawson, scientific partners who have intensely studied New Zealand’s only endemic dolphins for more than 30 years.

“What is it about the words ‘critically endangered’ that the decision-makers don't understand?” – Dr. Elisabeth “Liz” Slooten