Fishing and whitebaiting are back on for New Zealanders at alert level 4 after the Government did a U-turn on its own rules.
The rules said recreational fishing wasn't allowed under level 4 unless as a Māori customary right, but they've reeled that back in.
Just days ago, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said that "people shouldn't really be out whitebaiting". Then suddenly on Saturday, the wording on the Government's COVID website changed and gave everyone the green light to fish locally.
Although someone clearly forgot to tell Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
"This isn't a question I've been asked. I'm very happy to go and take a look," she said on Sunday.
"Fishing at different alert levels is a very sensitive topic so I wouldn't want to set anyone wrong."
Her office later put out a statement saying fishing with restrictions had always been allowed, but the online wording was causing confusion so was corrected.
ACT leader David Seymour says the rules have been "farcical".
"The rules should be fair, allowing people to fish safely is fair," he says.
Just 24 hours ago, whitebaiters weren't allowed to be out under level 4 rules unless as a Māori customary right - but defining the word customary seemed to be tricky.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster was asked by ACT last week to define the word "customary" at a select committee meeting - but he floundered.
"The Police Commissioner is a trained lawyer in charge of a whole police force," Seymour says. "If he doesn't know what customary is, what hope do the rest of us have."
Whitebaiters say it should have always been one rule for all.
"Everyone should get the same treatment," says whitebaiter Logan Tozer.
"The virus should not discriminate on race-based grounds and neither should the law," Seymour adds.
Enforcers of the law were down at Kairaki Beach, north of Christchurch, on Sunday because bringing vehicles down is still banned. But there was still a net gain for keen anglers.
