Annual Report for the Year Ended 30 June 1999

• Our Vision
• Principal Functions
• Chief Executive's Overview
• The Way Forward
• Key Achievements
• The Ministry
• 1998/99 Financial Performance
• References

Annual Report for the Year Ended 30 June 1999

Minister for Food, Fibre, Biosecurity and Border Control

Pursuant to Section 39 of the Public Finance Act 1989, I have the honour to present to you my Annual Report on the operations of the Ministry of Fisheries for the year ended 30 June 1999.

W R Tuck
Chief Executive
Ministry of Fisheries

Our Vision to 2010

The Ministry's vision for fisheries to the year 2010 includes:

• the Crown working with Maori to achieve sustainable fisheries;
• a healthy aquatic ecosystem in which fishing contributes to the social, economic and cultural well-being of New Zealanders and their communities, without limiting options for future generations and, in particular;
• customary Maori fisheries contributing to the cultural health and well-being of iwi and hapu;
• high quality recreational fisheries contributing to the social and economic well-being of the nation;
• an international competitive fishing industry making a significant contribution to our economy;
• people with rights to harvest fisheries having responsibility, and being held accountable, for the management of those rights, within environmental limits and standards set by Government;
• fisheries stakeholders recognising and respecting each other's rights, responsibilities and interests, and constructively resolving issues among themselves;
• public support for the way fisheries are managed;
• voluntary compliance with the fisheries laws that underpin sustainable fisheries.

Principal Functions

The Ministry of Fisheries is the principal adviser to:

• the Minister responsible for fisheries on fisheries management matters;
• the Minister responsible for biosecurity matters.

In a strategic sense the Ministry sees itself contributing to three of the government's overarching goals and three of its strategic priorities as detailed later in this report.

The Ministry is a natural resource management department with responsibilities for:

• providing for the utilisation of fisheries resources, while ensuring sustainability and contributing to the health of the wider aquatic environment;
• minimising risks to the marine environment from unwanted organisms;
• developing frameworks and managing processes that ensure the Crown delivers to Maori on its Article 2 fisheries obligations;
• developing frameworks and managing processes that will contribute to the efficient use of resources across the fisheries sector;