Outcome 3: Credible Fisheries Management

What are we seeking to achieve?

The Ministry’s aim is to ensure New Zealanders have confidence in our fisheries management system, and that stakeholders are able to participate effectively in fisheries management processes.

How can we measure our success?

The Ministry continues to monitor its services to ensure they are effective in meeting fisheries management objectives and are delivered on a low-cost high-value-for-money basis.

Performance measures

Voluntary compliance is increasing, as measured by the ratio of inspections to the number of offences detected.

Performance over the 2008/09 financial year is measured by the following activities.

Fisheries plans have objectives and management strategies developed by multi-stakeholder fisheries plan advisory groups, ideally supported by all members.

The first set of fisheries plans have been developed using multi-stakeholders advisory groups. They have developed objectives and are currently working on management strategies.


All iwi have access to a regional forum.

With Te Ika a Maui (North Island Freshwater Forum) being dis-established as a forum but with Ngāti Porou now established as a Foreshore and Seabed Implementation Committee, there are eleven fisheries forums, one of which services Ngāi Tahu with seven regional “clusters”.


Stakeholder and public confidence in the management of New Zealand fisheries is increasing, as measured by independent surveys.

The percentage of adult New Zealanders who believe our fisheries are being managed effectively increased by 13 percent between the June 2008 survey and that undertaken in June 2009. Confidence that the Ministry is “doing a good job” increased from 42 percent to 59 percent in the same period. Agreement that commercial fishing in New Zealand is sustainable rose from 48 percent to 55 percent.


The cost of management relative to value of production is similar to, or lower than, comparable jurisdictions.

Data that is directly comparable on fisheries management costs and the value of fisheries for different jurisdictions is difficult to obtain. The most recent such data available is contained in a 2003 OECD report but does not include information on the “value of production” for New Zealand, because New Zealand does not currently collect that data. This has therefore been estimated from export information and FAO data in the table below. Management costs include the costs of research, enforcement and administration, but exclude subsidies to the fishing industry.

Data from the report Costs of Managing Fisheries by the OECD, 2003, is as follows.

Performance of fisheries management is monitored and reported, including achievement of objectives in fisheries plans, achievement of fisheries outcomes, and performance against standards.

• Work is underway to establish a monitoring regime to assess and report on achievement of objectives and standards within approved fisheries plans.
• The Foveaux Strait Oyster fisheries plan has now been finalised, with performance criteria identified.
• As reported elsewhere, fisheries plans are being developed for inshore, deepwater, and highly-migratory fisheries. The Southern Shellfish fisheries plan is currently out for consultation, and three further fisheries plans are expected to be ready for the consultation phase shortly.

Fisheries outcomes:

• Work is underway to revise the Ministry’s high-level outcomes.
• A framework to monitor performance against the revised fisheries outcomes is being developed. Further work to develop Ministry outcomes to inform the 2010/11 Statement of Intent and support implementation of Fisheries 2030 will be necessary in the first quarter of 2010/11.

Performance against standards:

• The Ministry is developing performance standards across a range of fisheries management issues.
• The Harvest Strategy Standard was approved in October 2008. This standard will be implemented primarily through the development of fisheries plans.
• Research has been commissioned to assess the implications of the Harvest Strategy Standard for case study fisheries (Chatham Rise hake, Northwest Chatham Rise orange roughy, Auckland west/central west snapper (SNA8), and Campbell Island Plateau southern blue whiting).

Are we making progress?

Progress in this area will to a large extent be dependent on the changes being implemented through the Fisheries 2030 strategy and the Ministry’s organisation design project. The effects of these changes will be set out in the Statement of Intent for 2010-2015.