Oysters farm in New Zealand. To reduce bureaucracy in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors, the Government has started by eliminating the Oceans Secretariat.
Photo: Adobe Stock.
Fisheries and aquaculture will now have to deal with less bureaucracy in New Zealand. The Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, Shane Jones has taken steps to simplify high-level management of the oceans. According to the announcement, this will be done "while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector's role in the export-led recovery of the economy."
"I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector," said Jones. "To achieve that we need to be smarter with our resources and work more efficiently across departments and government ministers. This means cutting out unnecessary bureaucracy."
Shane Jones announced that the Oceans Secretariat - which was created by the previous Government in 2021 - has now been dismantled and that, from now on, ministers with responsibility for the oceans sector will meet only when necessary, "rather than regular meetings filled with officials."
The Oceans Secretariat was comprised of officials from relevant agencies, including the Ministry of Primary Industries, the Ministry of Environment, and the Department of Conservation. As informed by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the agencies will continue to work together and provide integrated advice as needed.
"Along with my colleagues with shared responsibilities for marine system management, I remain committed to ensuring the health of the marine environment while supporting the economic opportunities it offers," Jones stated.
"The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding the economy and easing the cost of living," Shane Jones claimed. "The primary industries, including fisheries and aquaculture, are a ticket to greater prosperity but need our support to thrive as they should."
"To get there, we need to cut unnecessary red tape, and my work alongside my ministerial colleagues on much-needed reforms to the Resource Management Act is one part of that," he continued. And insisted, "In the meantime, I will continue to work with my colleagues in the oceans space to progress initiatives related to fisheries and aquaculture, international agreements and marine protection."
Among the initiatives that have been launched following the coming to office of New Zealand's new conservative Coalition Government, we have recently heard about research into the breeding of snapper suitable for commercial fish farming - known as the super snapper project - the consultation on proposals to help solve the kina barrens problem, or the backing of a mussel spat project to increase survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry.