| In July 2000, Cabinet agreed to the development of an Oceans Policy for New Zealand. The policy would ensure integrated and consistent management of the oceans within New Zealand's jurisdiction. Development of the policy would be a cross-government exercise, covering all aspects of oceans management, including effects from land, and would extend out to the edge of the Exclusive Economic Zone and the Continental Shelf beyond.
At the moment, different aspects of our marine environment are managed under separate regimes, giving rise to a complex policy and legal seascape.
There are at least 18 core pieces of domestic legislation governing aspects of marine management, as well as an array of international conventions that we are obliged to implement. These give legal rights and responsibilities to 14 government agencies that each have jurisdiction over different aspects of the marine environment.
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Ocean Beach looking south |
These statutes and conventions set out a range of principles and purposes – which can sometimes conflict. They take a variety of approaches to involving people in decision making and reconciling competing uses. They also establish a complex system of rights and responsibilities which are not always complementary.
The Oceans Policy will be the overarching policy that provides direction on how all these rules should function together; to ask questions like - What happens when one set of rules collides with another set of rules? How can we make sure all the rules are consistent?
The agencies responsible for this Marine Management are:
Department of Conservation (DOC)
Regional Councils (RCs)
Ministry of Defence and New Zealand Defence Force
Ministry for the Environment (MfE)
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF)
Ministry of Health
New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA)
Ministry of Research, Science and Technology
Foundation for Research, Science and Technology
Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC)
Ministry for Culture and Heritage (MCH)
Office of Treaty Settlements (OTS)
Maritime Safety Authority (MSA)
Land Information New Zealand (LINZ)
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT)
Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA)
Ministry of Economic Development (MED)
Ministry of Fisheries (MFish)
The Regional Council's responsibility are:
Agency responsibilities and administrative area:
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coastal management in association with DOC within the territorial sea
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discharges from the land
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functions within the coastal marine area in response to oil spills within the territorial sea
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discharges, dumping and incineration within the coastal marine area
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functions for navigation
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pest management strategies - could cover marine organisms within the territorial sea
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state of the environment monitoring
Corresponding legislation and international agreements:
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Resource Management Act 1991
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New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement (NZCPS)
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Maritime Transport Act 1994
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Resource Management (Marine Pollution) Regulations 1998
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London Dumping Convention
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The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL)
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Local Government Act 1974
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Biosecurity Act 1993
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Resource Management Act 1991
For further information, visit the Ocean's Policy Web Site