Hon. John Key
Prime Minister Hon. Bill English
Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Phil Heatley
Ministry of Fisheries Hon. Tim Groser
Minister of Conservation Hon. Murray McCully
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon. Paula Bennett
Minister of Social Development and Employment Hon. Anne Tolley
Minister of Education Hon. Kate Wilkinson
Minister of Labour Hon. John Key
Minister of Tourism Hon. Dr. Nick Smith
Minister for the Environment Dear Sirs and Madam: I commend the government of New Zealand for its ban on commercial and recreational set netting in Makulua Harbor as an important first step in the protection of the magnificent, yet critically endangered Maui dolphin. To fully protect these rare animals and ensure their future survival, I urge the government of New Zealand to move quickly with a ban on trawler fishing as well as expanding the ban on set netting to encompass all harbors within the known range of Maui dolphins. As you know, during the past two years six more critically endangered Maui dolphins have died and all of the available evidence strongly suggests they drowned after becoming entangled in fishing nets. Clearly, we must act quickly and decisively to protect and save the world's rarest marine mammal, and one of nature's most extraordinary creations, by establishing a marine sanctuary that will effectively ban commercial and recreational set netting and pair trawling within the entire range of the Maui dolphin. Wherever they have been established, marine sanctuaries have been shown to benefit not only targeted endangered species such as the Maui dolphin, but also marine recreational users, sport fishers and commercial fishers who enjoy increased marine species abundance and diversity in areas adjacent to marine preserves. Therefore, I want you to know that I join with the many citizens of New Zealand and the global conservationist community who care deeply about the Maui dolphin and are calling on the government of New Zealand to fully protect it by taking immediate and decisive action to ban set netting and pair trawling within its entire range. Let us do everything we possibly can on our watch to ensure that our children, their children, and all generations to come will enjoy the Maui dolphin as a living, thriving species rather than a text book photo and a caption about another magnificent animal driven off the face of this planet by our greed and ignorance. Sincerely, (your full name will automatically be added here from the form below)
Concerned, Eco-Friendly Traveler and Friend of Marine Mammals | 
