Seafood New Zealand is disappointed by the Government’s decision not to progress the Fisheries Amendment Bill this term of Parliament.
Chief Executive Lisa Futschek said the Bill contains a range of practical reforms that modernises New Zealand’s fisheries management system and ensures it remains fit for purpose in a changing world.
“This Bill is about bringing fisheries management into the modern era. The intention is to move away from a one-size-fits-all process that can be slow and blunt, and towards a legislative framework that is more responsive and better matched to the realities of the job.
“It contains sensible reforms that will improve efficiency, reduce unnecessary compliance costs and enable better use of technology, while maintaining New Zealand’s world-leading sustainability standards.”
Ms Futschek said it was unfortunate that much of the debate around the Bill became dominated by claims and campaigns that did not accurately reflect many of the proposed changes.
“A lot of attention was given to what people feared the Bill might do, rather than what the Bill actually did. As a result, some genuinely worthwhile reforms have been lost in the noise. It was very clear those who lobbied against were more taken with slogans than what could actually have been achieved.”
She said the challenges the Bill sought to address had not disappeared.
“The seafood sector operates in a highly regulated environment, and our management framework must continue to evolve. Whether it’s adopting new technology, improving data collection, or ensuring regulatory settings keep pace with modern fishing practices, these issues still need to be addressed.”
While respecting the Government’s decision, Seafood New Zealand is calling on political parties to revisit the reforms in the next term of Parliament.
“The work that has gone into developing these reforms should not be wasted. New Zealand needs a fisheries management system that is modern, efficient and responsive to future challenges. We strongly encourage the next Parliament to pick up this work and see it through,” said Ms Futschek.
