New Zealand Aquaculture Today
Before the 1990s, marine farming was a relatively small industry in New Zealand, with small farms dotted around the coast, mostly in the Marlborough Sounds, Northland and around the Coromandel Peninsula.
Over the next 10 years, marine farming grew at an exponential rate with demand for water space increasing five-fold. New Zealand’s relatively clean water, advanced national biotoxin monitoring programme, robust research capabilities, and proactive industry all ensured strong growth. By 2000 it had become clear that the existing ways of managing marine farming could not cope with the increase in demand.
There were two main concerns: increased delays for marine farm applications for new space and rising costs in the processing of resource consent applications; and communities were raising concerns that the possible effects of marine farming were not being fully recognised and managed. So changes began, starting with a moratorium on new aquaculture permits between November 2001 and December 2004. The aquaculture law reform came into effect on 1 January 2005.
Keeping pace
Growth in aquaculture has continued to keep pace however, even when the moratorium on permits was in place. Under the moratorium all applications for new aquaculture space were stopped, but a large number of applications that had already been notified by regional councils before 28 November 2001 were allowed to proceed under New Zealand’s old aquaculture law. These old law applications require both a resource consent from the relevant regional council and a marine farming permit from the Ministry of Fisheries.
The net result: as of 28 November 2001, 9086 ha of aquaculture space existed in New Zealand. As of October 2009, that number has increased to 18,505 ha – over 100 per cent increase in about eight years. Of the 18,505 ha of current aquaculture space:
- 7710 ha is owned by the aquaculture industry and is in known productive growing areas
- 4011 ha belongs to the Challenger Scallop Enhancement Company and is used to enhance the wild scallop fishery
- 2465 ha is an exposed site six kilometres offshore from Napier. Owners of the site are still undertaking research and trials to test the site’s economic viability.
- 3800 ha is an approved site off the coast of Opotiki. Productivity of the site is yet to be proven.
- 520 ha is a recently approved Interim AMA in the Firth of Thames.
As of October 2009, the Ministry of Fisheries has 16 applications left to process under the old law. These applications total 10,381 ha. It is anticipated most of these applications will be completed in 2009 with the remainder being completed by June 2010.
Moving forward under the new law
Following recommendations from the Minister of Conservation to the Governor-General to declare interim Aquaculture Management Areas (AMAs) in Tasman and Waikato, the Ministry of Fisheries has been processing interim AMAs in these two regions.
The Tasman region’s interim AMAs occupy 2109 ha. In December 2008, the Ministry of Fisheries made an aquaculture decision to approve 850 ha of the Tasman interim AMAs and decline 108 ha due to environmental concerns. When the Tasman coastal plan is amended to reflect the decision on the interim AMAs and the plan is made operative, the council can process the underlying consents and the approved space can be developed. A further 1151 ha has been reserved because of undue adverse effects on commercial scallop fishing, but this space can potentially proceed if commercial fishers and aquaculture interests reach an agreement.
The Waikato interim AMA is a total of 1782 ha in size, althought only 520 ha of this space is approved for farming (with the remaining space set aside for access). The decision of the Waikato interim AMA was made in October 2009. Review the Wilson's Bay decision documents.
