Why protesters dressed as the Grim Reaper confronted the Fisheries Minister
A protester in a Grim Reaper costume confronted Fisheries Minister Shane Jones outside an environment conference in Auckland on 25 June 2026, protesting the government's rules on fishing in areas where Māui dolphins live, according to RNZ.
Jones runs the Oceans and Fisheries portfolio — meaning he sets the rules for commercial fishing across New Zealand's waters. The protester was targeting him because conservation groups believe those rules don't protect Māui dolphins enough.
Māui dolphins are a type of Hector's dolphin found only on the west coast of the North Island. They are among the rarest marine mammals in the world. Fewer than 60 are left — all above one year old. Since the 1980s, different groups — conservationists, Māori iwi, fishing companies and governments — have argued about whether the current protections are strong enough.
The main argument is over fishing nets and trawlers in the areas where Māui dolphins live. Conservation groups say the protected zones are too small and have too many loopholes, which means the dolphins could die out completely. Staging the protest at an environment conference meant the minister couldn't ignore the issue in a business-as-usual setting.
Jones has backed the fishing industry since taking his job. He says stricter rules would hurt fishing communities, especially in areas that depend on it. This puts him in disagreement with conservation groups and some iwi, who want to protect Māui dolphins as a taonga (treasured species) under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Protests like this one are a common tactic in New Zealand conservation campaigns — they're designed to grab media attention. Whether they actually change government policy is a different question. For now, the government shows no sign of tightening fishing restrictions for Māui dolphins.
What matters most is whether other Cabinet ministers — like the Minister of Conservation — push Jones to change his approach. At the moment, that's not happening. Jones has a lot of freedom to make fisheries decisions, and nothing in the current government suggests that will change soon.
