Annual Report for the Year Ended 30 June 2001

• Our Vision
• Chief Executive's Overview
• Key Achievements
• 2000/2001 Financial Performance
• References

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Annual Report for the Year Ended 30 June 2001

Output Class Service Performance

Vote Biosecurity (Fisheries)
Output Class D11 Policy Advice

Description

Under this class of outputs, the Minister for Biosecurity purchases services related to the management of risks to biosecurity from the discharge of ballast water and hull de-fouling.

Objectives

The objectives of this output class are to:

• Provide policy advice on building a marine biosecurity system and to contribute to achieving the Biodiversity strategy. This will include measures to prevent organisms arriving, detect organisms if they do arrive, respond to those incursions and manage pest species.
• Manage contracts for services delivered by other parties, including enforcement activities and scientific research.
• Monitor compliance with New Zealand biosecurity requirements.
• Provide advice on regulatory measures for marine biosecurity.

Scope

The outputs in this output class are:

• Policy Advice.
• Regulatory Advice.
• Compliance.

Achievements during the year

Policy Advice
As part of its requirement to promote the development and adoption of an international protocol for the management of ballast water discharge, the Ministry of Fisheries attended the International Maritime Organisation Maritime Protection Committee meeting in October 2000 and presented New Zealand’s position on international protocols for the management of ballast water discharge.

The April 2001 Committee meeting made significant progress on developing an international protocol to manage ballast water. Standards have been agreed and treatment methods other than discharge have been provided for. MFish has continued to provide advice on improving prevention of organisms arriving in New Zealand, surveillance for marine pests and response to incursions.

The development of biosecurity frameworks to minimise risks to the marine environment has been undertaken through strengthened harmonisation of border controls with MAF. The development of a surveillance programme has been let as a research project under the Biodiversity package and an incursion response process has been documented.

MFish has also contributed to the ongoing review of existing marine biosecurity arrange-ments (eg the Import Health Standard) to ensure they reflect current knowledge and risks to New Zealand. The current Import Health Standard for ballast water is to be revised in 2001/2002. Detailed reporting on the implementation of biosecurity projects developed as part of the Government’s Biodiversity Strategy has been undertaken through the Biodiversity process, with monthly updates to the Biodiversity Chief Executive’s Group on progress against milestones.

In addition, regular consultation occurs with other Biodiversity agencies. The research projects being undertaken as part of the Biodiversity package were put out for contestable tender in January 2001. Six tenders were approved during the last quarter or shortly thereafter. The biodiversity projects are being managed by the Ministry’s science group in line with specifications used for fisheries research project monitoring.

The contract for marine species risk profiles has been let and the project is underway.

Regulatory Advice
Work is currently underway on a package of regulations/guidelines to control hull cleaning in New Zealand waters. The original target date for completion of this work was 30 June 2001. The Ministry has contracted external parties to undertake research to determine the standards to be established for hull cleaning and the methods by which the cleaning might be carried out. Officials from the Ministry for the Environment and MFish are examining Resource Management Act regulatory mechanisms. Several issues need to be resolved prior to the regulations being promulgated.

The Ministry continues to provide advice as required on regulatory options for improving and building New Zealand’s marine biosecurity requirements. Compliance Advice A review of ballast water reporting forms has been undertaken. New forms and instruction booklets have been distributed to shipping agents and Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Quarantine offices. In its consideration of frameworks for the delivery of alternative compliance systems, the Ministry has:

• tendered and contracted research projects on hull fouling and ballast water compliance tools as part of the Biodiversity strategy funding package; and
• examined alternative ballast water compliance research in the US to identify linkages with New Zealand’s requirements.

Financial Performance

Table of Financial Performance.

	30/06/01 Actual $000	30/06/01 Budget $000	30/06/01 Actual as % of Budget

Revenue:
Crown	2,252	2,252	100

Total revenue

2,252

2,252

100

Expenses:
Policy advice	711	1,739	40
Regulatory advice	263	295	89
Compliance advice	231	218	106

Total expenses

1,205

2,252

54

Surplus

1,047

0

-

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Statement of Resources for the Year Ended 30 June 2000

Statement of Resources for the Year Ended 30 June 2000.

Human Resources	Number

Full time equivalents
	Female	92
	Male	205

297

Honorary Fisheries Officers These officers operate in an educational role and provide active surveillance of recreational fishing activities to ensure recreational fishers comply with fisheries legislation Wage workers and seasonal staff are also employed	350

Land and buildings owned

Number

Area (m2)

Commercial
	offices	3	1,434
	storage	3	533
	land		7,384
Residential
	House on separately saleable residential section	1	140

7

9,491

Land and buildings leased

Number

Area (m2)

Commercial
office	18	8,309
storage	15	5,144
land		2,835
Total	33	16,288

Motor vehicles owned

Number

Sedan/Hatch/Station Wagon	41
Utilities/Vans	9
4 Wheel drive	29

79

Vessels

Number

Patrol vessels used to protect, manage and enhance New Zealand's fisheries resource

20

* one vessel as part of the South Island contract enforcement arrangements with Ngai Tahu.

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Information Resources

Sustainability databases

1. Commercial catch effort and scientific observer catch effort databases used for stock assessment, environmental performance management, policy evaluation, evidence of misreporting of catch effort and monitoring overall integrity of the fisheries management regime.

2. Research databases managed for MFish by NIWA, including electronic datasets such as trawl surveys, recreational surveys and acoustic data and physical specimens such as otoliths.

Quota management systems Fisheries utilisation management system comprising quota holdings, transfers, deemed values, vessel registration and permitting.

Compliance and enforcement information Information systems, including the Vessel Monitoring System and the Fisheries Intelligence Network to monitor fishing activity and assist in the detection of offences.

Reference Files Reference files common to fisheries management systems, including species codes, client identification and vessel identification. Documents Fisheries management policy and decision making documents comprising word processing documents, spreadsheets and presentations.

Accounting Financial information systems comprising general ledger, accounts payable and accounts receivable, bank reconciliations, fixed assets, report writing modules and time management systems.

Human Resources Human Resources information database, payroll systems and report writer modules.