In Auckland on Saturday a march of 6000 people protested against deep sea oil drilling. Rueben Taipari Porter who lead the Waitangi day protest against the Norwegian company Statoil has been vocal in his opposition to Oil rigs off the coast of Northland.
In the media Mr Taipari Porter explained how a Northland Rūnanga has been brought out by Statoil and is willing to get funding so the company can erect an oil rig off the coast of Northland.
Mr Taipari Porter explained New Zealand doesn’t have the capabilities if an Oil rig causes an ecological disaster. Statoil is legally not bound and protected from prosecution should an incident occur. The New Zealand tax payer only gets 6% of all revenue gained from Statoils profits.
In Norway where Statoil is located the Tax payer receives 50% of all profits.