What are the benefits?
• Huge international recognition and mana.
• Assisting in protecting a site from exploitation that would damage the landscape, ecology, culture and heritage that make it so special.
- WH is not politically aligned so no fear or favour influence
- The international recognition of outstanding universal value that is conferred by WH status is a protection in itself, making those who might seek to exploit, back off and think again
- World Heritage can also help financially with scientific advice and legal assistance.
• Increased tourism bringing financial benefits locally and nationally.
What are the downsides?
Too many tourists can create problems, but these are controllable and WH can give help and ideas about how to do this.
Note: TheTongariro Crossing is NZ’s most accessible WH site and has experienced such problems, but those who manage it have been strong in their praise of help received from WH to control tourism so that everybody benefits.
How are people’s rights affected?
A regular hunter in the area questioned whether his activities, using dogs for example, would be controlled in some way. Absolutely not is the answer. The site would include only the sea and coastline of Mercury Bay and here, people’s normal activities – fishing, diving, boating etc would not be affected unless they were causing damage to the environment or disrupting culturally significant sites.
Customary rights?
Recognition and protection of local people and their cultures is one of the major aims of World Heritage. Customary rights would be acknowledged and honoured. If, as may sometimes be the case, these rights are abused, WH may be able to assist local iwi with however they might want to deal with such a situation.
Commercial activities
Any activity not causing significant adverse effects and abiding by local rules (such as fishing quota, rahui etc) would be unaffected. Tourism operators may be encouraged to educate their clients in treating the area with appropriate respect and possibly managing access so that increased numbers of tourists do not harm by overcrowding.
Having a spat farm in the bay may not be a positive on a WH application but if it’s not damaging the environment it would probably be okay.
However, a large number of marine farms would almost certainly degrade claims of outstanding natural beauty and of caring for the unique marine environment and the creatures who live here. Word Heritage status would become unattainable for Mercury Bay if that was the case.
Can World Heritage status be taken away?
Yes. This can happen if the attributes that led to WH recognition are degraded so that it is no longer an internationally extraordinary site.
How is this different to the 2015 WH application?
The so called “Coromandel Heritage Plan” for the whole peninsula, land and coast, was developed without any public consultation and in partnership with an American travel company. It was working under rules of the International Union of Conservation of Nature which is one of several advisory bodies to WH but focuses more on poorer, less developed areas where few safeguards exist for local environments and cultures and where protection is most effectively provided by influencing local government rules and planning. World heritage expert, Professor Maxwell, said the plan to put the whole of the Coromandel under IUCN Category V was puzzling, unwise and totally unnecessary because we are already largely protected by layers of central and local government regulations. He is adamant we would not give away any local control.
Bureaucracy would take over and we wouldn’t get anywhere
DOC is NZ’s lead agency for the World Heritage Convention and works closely with our Ministry of Culture and Heritage. Study and evaluation of potential WH sites is done in NZ before going to WH advisory bodies for their evaluation and then to the intergovernmental World Heritage Committee to make a final decision. So bureaucracy, yes, but most of the process is in NZ, not in some distant UNESCO offices.
Ngati Hei is already protecting Te Whanganui a Hei and its mana
It’s a matter for iwi and they don’t need any help.
Even Ngati Hei may not be able to protect the Bay if say, in the future, powerful international companies discovered and wished to exploit enormously valuable and scarce minerals either in the sea or the hinterland. Fine words about the preservation of our precious environment tend to evaporate when seductive big money and power come calling.
A current example is what has happened in Tolaga Bay where forestry slash from often overseas-owned forests is devastating beautiful beaches and contributing to catastrophic flooding events. Who would have foreseen this years ago? Ngati Porou and Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti have been powerless to stop it. The Gisborne District Council spent huge money prosecuting a Malaysian forest owner who was not complying with the conditions of resource consent but the maximum fine was little more than a slap on the wrist for the wealthy company. The Council has no more resources to fight with. Still the slash comes down every time there’s much rain.
If World Heritage had been involved in this area, its financial muscle and mana might be providing invaluable assistance.
We all want to be able to look our mokopuna, our children and grandchildren in the eyes and say we did everything we could to preserve this place and their heritage.
For further information, email your questions to mercurybayworldheritage@gmail.com
