Standards Adopted by the Ministry

Policy advice quality standards

The standards used to assess the quality of policy advice provided to the Minister are.

Purpose

The aim or purpose is clearly stated and it answers the questions set.

Logic

The assumptions behind the advice are explicit, and the argument logical and supported by facts.

Accuracy

The facts are accurate and all material facts are included.

Options

An adequate range of options has been presented and the benefits, costs and consequences of each option are clearly outlined.

Consultation

There is evidence of adequate consultation with interested parties and possible objections to proposals/ content are identified.

Practicality

The problems of implementation, technical feasibility, timing or consistency with other policies/reports have been considered.

Presentation

The format meets the stipulated requirements; the material is effectively, concisely and clearly presented, has short sentences in plain English and is free of grammatical or spelling errors.

Quality management

The product quality will be supported by a process that provides for:

• circulation of drafts for critiquing by government agencies and affected stakeholders
• internal peer review and checking procedures
• adherence to the Ministry's policy framework
• consistency with relevant legislative obligations
• specific requirements set by the Minister.

These standards are to be applied in all areas where the Ministry provides advice to decision-makers.

Fisheries and biodiversity research

Medium Term Research Plans will have both a wider and medium term (3 to 5 year) view. They will integrate individual related projects on a species or fishery or research area or topic. These medium term plans should list the proposed projects for the 2007/08 fishing year as well as the research needs and directions for the subsequent 2 to 4 years. They should include a description of likely new research projects required during this period. They should clearly address why the projects are being proposed, including the anticipated results and how these contribute to and/or support other projects in the medium term plan. They should also indicate how the projects support decision-making in relation to the sustainable utilisation of fisheries. The medium term plans must be based on the document ‘Ministry of Fisheries Strategic Research Directions' and any strategic research plans and fishery plans developed for the appropriate species/fishery or research area. These medium term plans will be ‘rolling' plans that will be reviewed and evaluated at least annually.

The medium term plan should contain the following elements:

1. Background
   The background should contain a brief description of:
   • the important attributes of the fishery or research area or topic
   • the available information on the fishery or research topic, such as information on stock status, sustainable yields, known environmental impacts
   • the need or rationale for carrying out research on the fishery or research topic.
     
2. Description of the programme and associated projects that will contribute information on the species/fishery or research topic in the medium term
   Programmes should be directed at addressing wider research issues or needs. Programmes will often be made up of a number of research projects that all contribute to addressing the research issues of the programme. Some examples of research programmes include the determination of stock structure and the relationships between stocks; estimation of abundance, or stock size, or biomass; estimation of productivity; determination of the environmental impacts of fishing. The rationale or need for carrying out research to address the issues or needs of the programme should be briefly described.
   
   For each programme, the proposed research activities for the medium term should be briefly described. This description should include:
   • relevant past research, including key outputs. For example, if a time series of surveys is involved, then these should be specified and key results summarised
   • the key outputs of proposed future research, with associated milestones, should be identified.
     
3. Summary of proposed research for the next 3 to 5 years
   This should be presented in a standardised form for ease of comparison between programmes. Research Planning Groups may wish to group medium term research plans together by species or groups of species. For example, the draft Deepwater Medium Term Research Plan covers the major orange roughy and oreo fisheries.