Cabinet kills Kermadec Sanctuary plans

Cabinet kills Kermadec Sanctuary plans
Minister Shane Jones said the plans made 'absolutely no sense'. (Image: NZME)
Staff reporters
The government has stopped work on establishing the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary reserve and removed the related bill from parliament.The reserve would have covered 620,000 square kilometres and was announced by former prime minister John Key in 2015, with its first reading in 2016.Oceans and fisheries minister Shane Jones said the current marine reserve, which extends 12 nautical miles from the shores of the Kermadec Islands, is “ample to preserve the unique environment of the marine life that inhabits the region”.“Making 15% of...