Public Navigation Rights in NZ Coastal Waters

***STOP Councils Taking Your Rights Away***

My name is Bernard Philbrick.

For the past 10 years, I have been acting in defence of our ancient rights of navigational freedom, particularly the rights to anchor, moor or ground small ships and boats in NZ waters ( the common marine and coastal area).

These rights, which are rights of people, not governments, have been under serious assault by the northland regional council, despite the rights being recognized and protected by the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011.

During that 10 years, the NRC (Maritime)‘s officers have: issued abatement notices beyond their authority, an invalid infringement notice, and made criminal charges against me (for anchoring) threatening up to 6 years jail or hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.

All of this has failed.

Next up was an application to the environment court to ban me (and my heirs and successors – that’s my children and grandchildren) from anchoring the Rose Maree in Northland waters forever.

This also failed.

Despite this, the environment court awarded the NRC costs of over $17,000 for which they are currently trying to bankrupt me. In response, I currently have an application before the high court to set aside the bankruptcy and Quash the environment court decision to award costs to the NRC, as being beyond that court’s jurisdiction and for breaching my right to natural justice.

I am seeking funding, from the boating community and all New Zealanders who value their freedom, to help with the next stage of the legal fight in the High Court in Whangarei and ongoing resistance to the even more draconian rules that the NRC are attempting to bring about, which are without any resource management or policy basis.