subsequent championing of the decision<\/a>.<\/p>\nPotaka also committed to reviewing bottom trawling in the gulf: \u201cA further decision, to allow bottom trawling in some designated trawl corridors in the Gulf has also been controversial so we will review that also.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Hauraki Gulf\/T\u012bkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill introduced high protection and seabed protection areas that exclude trawling, dredging and Danish seining across 18 percent of the gulf.<\/p>\n
This had some overlap with the existing 27 percent that can\u2019t be bottom fished.<\/p>\n
Another piece of work, initially picked up by the Labour Government and then iced by the coalition, that would have protected as much as 89 percent of the Hauraki Gulf shallower than 200 metres from bottom fishing.<\/p>\n
After Shane Jones announced this wasn\u2019t on his agenda \u2013 he described it as \u201cundercooked\u201d \u2013 he told Newsroom it was likely another government would pick it up down the line.<\/p>\n
Potaka says a consistent approach to protecting the gulf is needed: \u201cWe need to strike the right balance for future use of the Hauraki Gulf and other waters around New Zealand for those who fish, dive, swim, or collect kaimoana recreationally, as well as commercial and customary users.\u201d<\/p>\n
NZ First<\/p>\n
Getting rid of ring net fishing in high protection areas and further restricting bottom trawling in the Hauraki Gulf are not on New Zealand First\u2019s agenda heading into this election.<\/p>\n
It hasn\u2019t developed firm election policies, but Shane Jones\u2019 pro-industry views and actions while in office leave little to the imagination.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuch matters will be settled closer to the election,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will, however, ensure that the quota management system is fit for purpose, the science is robust, and all stakeholders have the opportunity to participate in consultative processes. It is important that the fisheries sector performs economically.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jones says sustainability, reducing regulatory impost, supporting a new generation of fishers and delivering quality science were the most pressing policy matters.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have an enviable system for managing fisheries. However, with changing weather and geopolitical uncertainty, we must remain adaptable and willing to change management approaches.\u201d<\/p>\n
He believes bottom trawling should continue in the gulf, but more effort should be put into improving harvest technology, presumably to enable more selective fishing or to lessen environmental impact.<\/p>\n
Jones\u2019 controversial agenda has seen him put in place a lot of his vision for the sector, albeit constrained by being a part of a coalition, so it will be interesting to see what New Zealand First comes up with.<\/p>\n
Labour<\/p>\n
Labour\u2019s oceans and fisheries spokesperson Rachel Boyack tells Newsroom she believes the most pressing policy issue is about the sustainability of the sector and ensuring it can grow while also protecting ocean health.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur focus will be backing our blue economy to thrive and create well-paid jobs, and ensuring our oceans remain sustainable well into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
It plans to support fishers, and the wider blue economy, with its proposed $200m-plus Future Fund.<\/p>\n
The party has, like National, committed to reversing the decision to allow ring netting in Hauraki Gulf protection areas.<\/p>\n
Boyack says it is disappointing to see the Government cave into lobbying when put under pressure.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Hauraki Gulf is in a state of ongoing environmental decline and there\u2019s an urgent need to prevent further degradation of our marine ecosystems through overfishing and pollution.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a real risk of damaging our gulf for future generations with this concession.\u201d<\/p>\n
A complete ban on bottom trawling in the gulf doesn\u2019t appear to be on the cards under Labour.<\/p>\n
\u201cLabour is really proud of the work we undertook in government to progress safeguarding the Hauraki Gulf, which included a proposed ban on bottom trawling for most of the gulf.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll continue to work with the sector and relevant communities to understand what else might be required to protect the Gulf.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greens<\/p>\n
Green party spokesperson for oceans and fisheries Teanau Tuiono was unsurprisingly the most environmentally minded.<\/p>\n
Tuiono believes New Zealand has failed to successfully balance conservation and economic activity.<\/p>\n
When asked about the most controversial oceans and fisheries policy in the current term, he pointed to the Government allowing some commercial ring netting to take place in Hauraki Gulf protection zones and the 20-year blanket extension given to all marine farm resource consents.<\/p>\n
He says the most pressing issues across the portfolio included increasing the number of marine protected areas and reforming the associated legislation, protecting the Hauraki Gulf, and \u201ctaking on the fisheries industry\u2019s corporate pillaging of the moana\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Green party is yet to formalise its election policy, but Tuiono pointed Newsroom to its 2023 policies, which included establishing an oceans commission, legislating to reach 30 percent marine protection by 2030, and banning bottom trawling while investing in a transition toward more sustainable fishing practices.<\/p>\n
It proposed a $60 million fund to support this transition to more sustainable commercial fishing practices.<\/p>\n
It also proposed separating the oceans and fisheries portfolios, citing a possible conflict of interest.<\/p>\n
Act<\/p>\n
Act didn\u2019t respond to Newsroom\u2019s questions, but fisheries is hardly a top priority for the party.<\/p>\n
However, reducing regulatory red tape is a priority of the party. And commercial fisheries is a highly regulated, if not the highest regulated, industry in New Zealand.<\/p>\n
When Shane Jones announced his sweeping reforms to the Fisheries Act last year, its oceans and fisheries spokesperson Mark Cameron said the sector had been \u201cover-regulated and stigmatised by landlubbing activists with no idea of practical realities at sea\u201d.<\/p>\n
In support of the controversial bill, Cameron said it gave fishers \u201creal hope of relief from unnecessary red tape\u201d.<\/p>\n
It appears that it would support further easing of fisheries regulation or related environmental protection measures.<\/p>\n
Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori<\/p>\n
Fisheries is a complicated subject for Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori, which has a strong environmentalist stance and has actively campaigned against seabed mining and the like.<\/p>\n
It could be expected to support new marine protection areas if they were backed by iwi\/hapu, but might be hesitant to infringe on customary fishing rights in some areas.<\/p>\n
Commercial fishing and aquaculture are also important parts of the M\u0101ori economy, with quota rights an important part of Treaty negotiations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fisheries has found an unseasonably early spot on the election agenda, following three years of controversial pro-industry policies…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":298829,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[138,112585,273,111,43,7439,139,69,135,147],"class_list":{"0":"post-298828","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-election-2026","10":"tag-environment","11":"tag-new-zealand","12":"tag-news","13":"tag-newsroom-pro","14":"tag-newzealand","15":"tag-nz","16":"tag-politics","17":"tag-science"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=298828"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298828\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/298829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=298828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=298828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=298828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}