4 Feb 2015

Polynesian leaders to trial monitoring tech

3:47 pm on 4 February 2015

Leaders from Polynesia have agreed to trial new technology that could improve monitoring of the region's exclusive economic zones.

Members of the Polynesian Leaders Group met in Auckland today to discuss the region's progress and further improvements that could be made in the fisheries sector.

The meeting included a presentation from the Pew Charitable Trusts which has helped develop the new technology involving cross checking of satellite data against ship registries.

Cook Islands Prime Minister, Henry Puna

Cook Islands Prime Minister, Henry Puna Photo: AFP

The Cook Islands Prime Minister, Henry Puna, is hopeful it will be beneficial to their region.

They now have the technology that they think can be of use to the Polynesian countries in helping them to monitor all the activities that take place in terms of fisheries within their EEZ. And so we're giving it a trial run for six months to see how it works out and then the leaders will make a decision.

Henry Puna

The Prime Minister of Samoa Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has now been appointed the new head of the Polynesian Leaders Group.