Copy of my Facebook yesterday below will be of interest to anglers and hunters:
Fishing & hunting guides claim cowboy foreigners costing them
From Radio NZ – Catherine Ryan, nine to noon programme:
The organisations representing fishing and hunting guides say they’re missing out on business due to unregulated foreign guiding operations. They’re pushing for a licensing system for official guides which would only be available to New Zealand citizens or residents. The Chairman of the New Zealand Game Animal Council is Don Hammond and Kevin Payne is President of the New Zealand Professional Fishing Guides.
???????? So what do local guides think about this claim? TRM would be interested in their views…
Ross Baker Easy – they rely on TRM reports…
Ross Baker You need to appreciate TRM are totally guilty… again. All tourist accommodation suppliers – motels, lodges, B&B’s, etc.) catering for anglers receive little groups of anglers all year round. How can we (or customs?) know if they include a “guide” usually posing as tour leader? Often their English is very restricted. (My Russian is not too good either) It is up to the angler clients to decide whether they prefer a local guide or their own guide who has often escorted them many times. We hope we get some more response to this issue from local guides. We think it is a ‘sour grapes’ claim – that should encourage them…
Tony Entwistle No sour grapes … just a fact. Overseas guides are operating illegally in many areas of NZ. The law is the law … and if caught they should expect no sympathy … We’d get none in their countries.
Ross Baker Appreciate your response Tony as you would get many more down there than we see up here.
Tony Entwistle There are a few who operate legally further south … but the vast majority (from several different countries) fly under the radar. They tend to favour the more remote prestige rivers. Ultimately hopefully some will be caught and dealt with.
Chris Dore Its not necessarily because we are missing out on business: its because they are operating illegally, without the necessary concessions, insurances and H&S plans and if they have an incident then the reputation of the whole industry pays. Its about visiting anglers getting the best experience from our fishery in the safest way possible, and neither are things I believe illegal foreign guides provide.
Ross Baker Didymo Dave Yes I am guilty of providing their luxurious accommodation. Some are regulars targeting Lake O, etc. Perhaps we should charge more?
Tony Entwistle Certainly encourage them to employ local guides.
Chris Dore John Olds i agree, remuneration is the decider but short of seizing some European bank records for instance (which Im sure we will never see happen) how can we prove they were paid for this service? Immigration turn away visitors at our borders on the slightest suspicion they may be here to work illegally.. Someone here to run a 2 week guide trip hurts NZ more than a visiting family member who may be here to babysit a few hours.. (Referring to a recent news item here). Maybe immigration / customs need to lay down what they require as evidence and then get tougher.
John Olds The problem is that all they have to do is come here as a tourist with fishing gear which is hardly likely to raise suspicion.
Chris Dore John Olds if customs knew in advance however they may put the squeeze on. This relies on reporting adverts for NZ fishing etc.
To add a little berley to your “sour grapes claim – that should encourage them” offering.
Perhaps not the best metaphor as it is probably illegal in fly water, but then the term illegal does appear in a few of the responses. Over here “illegal” is an invariable appellation to refugees coming by boat, it seems that foreign fishing guides have earned that distinction in New Zealand
I’m not sure whether you may be of sufficient vintage to recall from the 1960s the “Little Red Book” and the accompanying short wave radio broadcasts from Radio China we listened to in our school years, exhorting us to study the thoughts of chairman Mao.
Well having, figuratively, studied the thoughts of the TRM Library may I just observe that it was not always like this
Trout at Taupo, OS Hintz 1955
page 174
‘You people are the most friendly fishermen I’ve struck anywhere’ a visiting Scot once informed a few of us, yarning over supper in the Lodge. ‘Why it’s even dangerous here to ask a man what fly he’s using. He can tell by your speech that you aren’t a New Zealander and he promptly wants to empty his fly box into your pockets. He knocks off fishing himself to look after you. He’d wade out, if he could, catch a fish bare-handed and hook it onto your fly.’
Rotorua Trout, Frank Gee 1960
Chapter 17 – The Visiting Fisherman
page 180
It is not uncommon for (Rotorua Anglers’ Association) members, on request, to take a visitor for a fishing trip. Such a request may be just the excuse a local member is looking for.
TRM 2016
organisations representing fishing and hunting guides say they’re missing out on business due to unregulated foreign guiding operations
Cheers,
AB Hobart