Iwi seeks control of HB Seafoods

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Nga¯ ti Kahungunu plans to buy a controlling stake in Hawke’s Bay Seafoods, the company at the centre of large fisheries offending.

Nga¯ti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated chairman Ngahiwi Tomoana said the iwi had been intending to buy a controlling interest in the company at the time it was raided by MPI in 2014.

The raid led to court action that came to a head on Monday with a fine of $1.08 million ordered against the company, its related companies, directors and manager.

Negotiations to buy into the company were suspended after the raid, Tomoana said.

‘‘However, we’ve maintained our interest in purchasing up to 100 per cent of the company to become a major stakeholder and participant in the industry. It has been an iwi strategy for over 20 years and we are positive and confident about the opportunity for Nga¯ti Kahungunu and our fisheries into the future,’’ he said.

‘‘If the vision of Nga¯ ti Kahungunu is realised the iwi will be the only iwi to my knowledge, that will own our catching, processing and marketing of settlement assets in the country,’’ he said.

The company employed more than 250 people. A new entity, presently called Takitimu Seafoods, would be formed as part of the purchase, he said.

Tomoana could not be contacted for comment and a spokeswoman said no further comment would be made at this stage .

The company and directors were sentenced by Judge Bill Hastings in the Wellington District Court on Monday.

The company and directors had initially pleaded not guilty, which led to a trial before the judge that lasted nearly a year before they all suddenly pleaded guilty at the end of 2017.

Last year, convictions were entered on 85 charges against Antonino, Giancarlo and Marcus D’Esposito, 22 charges against Esplanade, eight against Ocean and 15 against Hawke’s Bay Seafoods of making false statements and the sale of unreported fish. The charges relate to landings of fish to New Zealand and their export to Australia between November 2012 and July 2014 where the amounts of bluenose were under-reported before export.

The judge had broken down the fines for each defendants, with HB Seafoods fined $410,232, Ocean Enterprises $215,373, Esplanade $141,434, Marcus D’Esposito $126,639, Giancarlo D’Esposito $106,686 and Nino D’Esposito $86,309.

Since 2010, HBS had an agreement to buy the iwi’s annual catch entitlement of about 1000 tonnes of various species in return for providing employment and training for iwi members. In 2017 the iwi announced it was entering a joint venture with the Tainui iwi and had paid $3.5m for the 34-metre Glomjford vessel, which it bought in Norway, with the intention of fishing its own quota.