Fisheries resources should be available for harvesting, both now and in the future, to facilitate the long-term social, economic and cultural well-being of all New Zealanders. Harvesting should occur within constraints that ensure the use of the resource is sustainable.

In determining sustainability, account should be taken of the direct and indirect effects of fishing on the stock and its associated ecosystem. This includes considering the effects of fishing on associated or dependent species, biological diversity, and habitat.

The goal is to ensure fishing does not cause, or exacerbate, unacceptable long-term adverse effects on the integrity and productivity of the aquatic ecosystem. In particular, biological diversity should be maintained and the long term viability of associated or dependent species ensured. Adverse effects of fishing on protected species, such as marine mammals and albatrosses, should be minimised.

All management decisions should be based on the best available information and reflect a precautionary approach where information about the effects of fishing on the environment are uncertain. We should ensure activities of New Zealand fishers do not adversely affect fisheries resources and the aquatic ecosystem beyond our Exclusive Economic Zone.

Treaty of Waitangi

Fisheries should be managed in a manner which delivers on the Crown's obligations to Maori under the Treaty of Waitangi and statutory obligations to Maori in terms of the Treaty of Waitangi (Fisheries Claims) Settlement Act 1992 and the Fisheries Act 1996. This includes obligations to tangata whenua to recognise non-commercial fishing rights and management practices, and obligations to allocate 20 per cent of new quota to Maori when further species are brought into the Quota Management System.

Efficient allocation of resources

Efficient resource allocation is encouraged through the following fisheries management strategies:

Rights-based management
Secure rights provide incentives for users to take a long term interest in the viability of the resources and invest in fisheries enhancement. To improve the allocation of resources within the fisheries sector, rights and responsibilities of all users should be properly specified and be integrated with other users.
Devolution of fisheries management
Rights-holders should be given increased responsibility to collectively manage fisheries within appropriate sustainability parameters. Progress with co-management strategies requires the development of effective associations of users, including non-commercial users.
Internalisation of costs
Fishers should face the full costs of their fishing activities, with procedures and policies aimed at internalising management and environmental costs. This contributes to efficiency in resource allocation by creating incentives for stakeholders to modify their behaviour to lower their overall costs.
Cost-effective delivery of fisheries management services
Fisheries management services conducted by or on behalf of the Ministry should be cost-effective. This reduces the burden of management costs to both the fishing industry and taxpayers. Structures and processes should ensure services are produced to the required standards and specifications.

Participation

Stakeholders should be given the opportunity to participate in Government decision making processes for fisheries management. Maximum stakeholder participation will result in greater awareness of fisheries management issues and increase stakeholder ownership of management decisions.

To encourage stakeholder awareness and participation, the Ministry will continue to develop processes to disseminate information on fisheries and the aquatic environment.

It is also important for stakeholders to have appropriate access to information concerning fisheries and the aquatic environment, which is held by the Ministry or its agents.

Ministry Role

Our role is to provide for the utilisation of fisheries resources while ensuring sustainability.

As the principal government agency in fisheries management, the Ministry collaborates with other government agencies in advising on and implementing government policy in the following core areas of responsibility:

Ensuring ecological sustainability

This core responsibility includes the following functions:

specifying environmental goals and standards related to the use of fisheries and the impact of fishing on the aquatic ecosystem;
approving sustainability plans for fisheries;
setting sustainability measures, such as total allowable catches and size limits; and
monitoring the health of fisheries and the aquatic ecosystem.

Meeting Treaty of Waitangi and international obligations

This core responsibility includes the following functions:

involving Maori in fisheries management decision making;
delivering 20 per cent of new quota to Maori;
providing for and protecting customary fishing rights;
recognising use and management practices of Maori;
promoting and protecting New Zealand's fishing interests during the development of international arrangements; and
ensuring management frameworks are consistent with international arrangements ratified by New Zealand.

Enabling efficient resource use

This core responsibility includes the following functions:

defining and allocating harvesting rights; and
providing the frameworks to allow owners of harvesting rights to manage those rights.

Ensuring the integrity of management systems

This core responsibility includes the following functions:

setting standards and specifications for services such as research and administration;
monitoring and auditing the delivery of services;
managing fisheries and aquatic ecosystem information; and
delivering criminal law enforcement and prosecution services.

Contribution to Government Priorities

The Ministry contributed to the following government Stategic Result Areas and the Overarching Goals and Strategic Priorities that subsequently replaced them.

Strategic Results Areas:

Protecting and enhancing the environment
Treaty of Waitangi
Enterprise and innovation
External linkages

Overarching goals

We treasure our clean, healthy and unique environment and will ensure it continues to sustain nature and people's needs and aspirations. The life-supporting capacity of soil, air, water and ecosystems will continue to be safeguarded and the biological diversity and spectacular scenery that make New Zealand a special place will continue to be able to be enjoyed by future generations.
Recognising the importance of the Treaty of Waitangi, we will ensure that through Government's policies and actions we continue in good faith to build relationships between the Crown and Maori. In order to achieve this, we are committed to continuing the significant progress already made in negotiating and implementing fair, durable and affordable settlements of historical grievances; and improving the social and economic status of Maori.
We are proud of our New Zealand identity and will celebrate, foster and protect our cultural, historical and environmental heritage. By focusing on achievement; by building on the enterprise, creativity and skill of our people; and through our constructive international engagement, we are well positioned to place New Zealand at the leading edge.

Strategic Priorities

Encourage the contestable supply of resources and services in areas of public sector responsibilities - Strategic Priority 1

Improve the quality of the regulatory environment to secure better outcomes at lower cost - Strategic Priority 3

Turn the tide on the decline of indigenous biodiversity, by concerted action to protect habitats and control introduced pests - Strategic Priority 6

Goals for Fisheries

Goal 1

Leading the development of an understanding shared by all fisheries stakeholders, via a Stakeholder Accord, on the means to achieve sustainable fisheries in a healthy aquatic ecosystem.

Common understanding of the means to achieve sustainable fisheries means specifying medium to long term management goals and strategies for specific fisheries, and associated monitoring and reporting of the achievement of these goals. Specifying the goals and strategies for specific fisheries must take into account the interests of fisheries stakeholders.

Goal 2

Being the principal adviser to the Minister for Food, Fibre, Biosecurity and Border Control and other Ministers in implementing the Crown's obligations to Maori in respect of fisheries and operating in accordance with those obligations.

Delivering on the Crown's Article 2 obligations to Maori means developing partnership approaches to fisheries management with iwi and hapu, and developing policies and structures to enable Maori to exercise customary harvesting and management rights for fisheries resources and ensuring that the Crown delivers on its obligations in relation to quota allocation to iwi.

Goal 3

Working to develop a framework and manage processes that lead to the efficient use of the resources, including reducing business compliance costs, within the New Zealand fisheries sector.

Enabling efficient use of resources in the fisheries sector means developing policies that properly specify and integrate the rights and responsibilities of all fishers and creating individual and collective incentives for fishers to take a long term interest in the sustainability of the resource. This includes internalising management and environmental costs, and internalising choice in achieving fisheries management environmental standards or goals.

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Updated : 16 November 2007