This slightly shorter edition of The Update is coming to you earlier this week because tomorrow Aotearoa New Zealand celebrates the rising of the Matariki star cluster in the early morning sky, marking the Māori New Year.
It’s wonderful to have Matariki officially recognised in our calendars. We hope you will have the opportunity over the weekend for remembrance, celebration and looking ahead.
From an industry perspective, the year ahead is not without its challenges (one of which we touch on below) but we will continue to use science and commonsense to guide us. There’s also opportunity ahead. We are looking forward to what might come out of the Ministerial Forum which is working on a number of ways we can make our fisheries more sustainable in both environmental and business terms. And of course, there’s the fishing to look forward to, and hopefully lots of great weather to go along with it.
We’re a passionate and innovative bunch, who care deeply about what we do, how we do it and the health of our ocean. In the year ahead, we must continue to do the right thing, innovate where we can, and tell our stories proudly.
Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill update: It's not over yet!
Last week we were disappointed to see the latest from the Environment Select Committee on the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill. In their report, the Environment Committee is recommending to progress the Bill without amendments that address our greatest issues.
The intent of this Bill is to contribute to the restoration of the Hauraki Gulf. It sets up several new marine protected areas (MPAs), including two extensions to existing marine reserves (which exclude commercial fishing), five seafloor protection areas (which exclude any bottom contact fishing) and 12 high protection areas (which exclude all commercial and recreational fishing).
While we support the principles of marine protection we see many flaws with the bill as drafted. Over the past year we have provided numerous submissions to consultations and most recently to the Environment Select Committee to voice our concerns regarding the untargeted and unnecessarily impactful nature of the proposed MPAs.
Seafood New Zealand has a number of issues with the Select Committee's report and is working on next steps. There are still two readings of the Bill yet to be heard so it's not over yet. More on this soon.
Read the full The Update - 27 June 2024
