Foreword

New Zealand's fisheries are one of this country's most important renewable natural resources. As our fifth largest export earner, their management remains critical to the nation's economic and environmental well-being.

This Statement of Intent (SOI) supports the Government's priorities of economic transformation through maximising the value obtained by New Zealanders from the nation's natural resources, and that of national identity. It enlarges on the pathway set out in last year's SOI and shows how the Ministry has assumed a stronger leadership role in the fisheries sector and initiated increased engagement with stakeholders on a wide range of issues.

The Strategy to Manage the Environmental Effects of Fishing announced in 2005 is particularly important. Environmental performance standards are now being developed, providing greater certainty on the limits of acceptable environmental effects of fishing.

Equally important is developing an objectives-based approach to fisheries management. We will develop fisheries plans stating what we want to achieve for specific fisheries (the objectives), and associated implementation strategies (including research, regulations, and compliance) to achieve those objectives. The Ministry will work to ensure standards are met and to involve tangata whenua and stakeholders in setting objectives that increase the value of the fishery.

Over the next few years, the Ministry will concentrate its efforts on establishing fisheries plans. During the 2005/06 year, three proof-of-concept plans were developed and these will be used to refine the process for developing plans for other fisheries.

New Zealanders recognise the importance of our oceans and fisheries, and we understand there are different views on how best to manage these resources and how we use them.

With greater public awareness of what fisheries management is for and the issues that can affect our oceans and fisheries, the Ministry, tangata whenua and stakeholders will be better placed to manage this ecologically, socially, culturally and economically significant resource.

The SOI supports Government priorities and is consistent with the policies and performance expectations of the Government. As part of wider State Sector reforms, statements of intent are the core departmental accountability document at the annual operational and strategic levels. This SOI details the outcomes, direction, priorities, and services for the Ministry for 2006/07 and later years.