What role does the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Settlement Act 2004 play in establishing new marine farms?
The Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act 2004 can provide iwi with access to aquaculture space to develop their marine farming interest.
The settlement requires the government to provide Iwi Aquaculture Organisations (IAOs) with 20 per cent of all new aquaculture space. This means that where Aquaculture Management Areas (AMAs) are created, 20 per cent of the new space will be allocated to IAOs.
Aquaculture space provided to IAO under the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act is through the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Settlement Trust (the Takutai Trust), which was established under the Act and is managed by Te Ohu Kaimoana Trustee Limited. The 20 per cent Maori component of any AMA is provided to the Takutai Trust and then allocated to IAOs.
Allocation is done on a region-by-region basis, and is based around the jurisdictions of regional councils and unitary authorities as well as by the harbours that have been identified by the second schedule of the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act.
The government is committed to enabling the settlement and is actively working towards this with Te Ohu Kaimoana, IAOs, local government and the industry. To learn more, view the Ministry for the Environment’s fact sheet on Aquaculture reform 2004 – Settling Maori Claims.
