Welcome to the Ministry’s Annual Report 2008/09

I am pleased to present this report on the operations of the Ministry of Fisheries for the year ended 30 June 2009 to the House of Representatives pursuant to section 39 of the Public Finance Act 1989.

The report summarises the Ministry’s activities and achievements over the past year and also looks forward to the changes and challenges posed by Fisheries 2030.

We are one of the world’s leaders in fisheries management as acknowledged by New Zealand’s “green” rating in the high-profile research paper “Rebuilding Global Fisheries” which was published in the Science journal. I congratulate Dr Pamela Mace, the Ministry’s Chief Scientist, who was one of the authors of this international study.

It is also pleasing to note that New Zealand’s quota management system has been acknowledged in international reports as a leading model for fisheries sustainability.

This year we farewelled Stan Crothers, after 35 years in fisheries, from his beginnings as a fishery officer through to deputy chief executive. Stan was involved in a series of very significant changes for the management of fisheries in New Zealand – including the establishment of New Zealand’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the design and introduction of the quota management system, the 1992 Fisheries Deed of Settlement, and the establishment of the Ministry as a stand-alone agency, through to working on the Fisheries 2030 Strategy. Thank you for your work Stan and for your real commitment to fisheries and to the development of people who work in the Ministry.

Thank you to all the staff at the Ministry for delivering services and stepping up to the challenges of the past 12 months. A special thanks too to the Honorary Fisheries Officers for their valuable work in supporting the Ministry’s compliance effort.

Wayne McNee
Chief Executive