Legislation & policy
Iwi Aquaculture Workshop – 24 November 2006, Nelson
Summary of Presentations
Kia ora and welcome to the summary of presentations from the Iwi Aquaculture Workshop held on 24 November 2006 at the Rutherford Hotel in Nelson. The workshop was organised by Te Ohu Kai Moana Trustee Ltd as corporate trustee of Takutai Trust, the Māori Commercial Aquaculture Settlement Trust.
Over 90 people attended the workshop, including 60 iwi representatives from as far a field as Te Kao in the north to the Chathams in the south. Guest speakers included Māori marine farmers, iwi members, coastal planners, scientists and industry leaders. Other participants included government, industry and research representatives.
The key speakers and session information is outlined below. Additional presentations will be added in due course.
SESSION 1
OVERVIEW OF AQUACULTURE IN NEW ZEALAND
Kirsty Woods affiliates to Ngāti Hauiti in the Rangitikei and is the manager of Policy and Fisheries Development at Te Ohu Kai Moana Trustee Ltd. She is responsible for managing fisheries and aquaculture policy.
Click here to view presentation (PDF - 523kb)
This session explained that the purpose of the workshop was for iwi to identify key questions and ways to best participate in aquaculture. An overview of the aquaculture settlement was provided relating to regional settlements within regional council boundaries and harbours. The aquaculture settlement deals with new aquaculture space and obligations for existing aquaculture space. In order to receive settlement assets, iwi are required to become an Iwi Aquaculture Organisation, agree on shares and how specific assets will be allocated. Under the aquaculture settlement, the role of the Takutai Trust is to receive, hold and maintain settlement assets, facilitate iwi agreement and allocate settlement assets to iwi.
SESSION 2
MĀORI IN AQUACULTURE
Ngahiwi Tomoana is the Chair of Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated that is involved in the open-sea mussel farm off Waipatiki Beach in the Hawkes Bay. Ngahiwi has had a long involvement in iwi development and spearheaded Ngati Kahungunu’s involvement in Napier Mussels Ltd.
John Linstead affiliates to Ngāti Hako and is a member of the Hauraki Māori Trust Board. The Board has been involved with marine farming in the region for many years.
Click here to view presentation (PDF - 1,614kb)
Fred Te Miha’s tribal affiliations include Ngati Tama and Te Atiawa (in Te Tau Ihu), Ngati Rarua, Ngati Kahungunu and Ngai Tahu. Fred is the Chairperson of Ngati Tama Manawhenua Ki Te Tau Ihu Trust and a director of Ngati Tama’s fishing company – Tama Fishing. Ngati Tama acquired water space in Golden Bay about 12 years ago and has been involved in the activity of mussel farming for about 4 years. Ngati Tama is also involved in land based oyster farming.
Rob Pooley affiliates to Ngai Tahu and is the President of the Marine Farming Association which is a subscription based organisation representing marine farmers in the top of the South Island. He has spent much of his life in marine activity ranging from commercial fishing, merchant navy and 27 years in mussel farming.
The Taitokerau Iwi Chief Executives Consortium is a collective of seven Taitokerau iwi Chief Executives representing Te Aupouri Māori Trust Board, Te Runanga A Iwi o Ngati Kahu, Te Runanga o Te Rarawa, Te Runanga A Iwi o Ngapuhi, Te Runanga o Whaingaroa, Ngati Wai Trust Board and Te Runanga o Ngati Whatua. The consortium was represented during this session by Teresa Tepania-Ashton (Chief Executive, Te Runanga A Iwi o Ngapuhi) and Alan Pivac (Chief Executive, Te Runanga o Ngāti Whatua)
The second session discussed the experiences of Māori marine farmers in the industry including eel and mussel farming. Practical advice was shared relating to farming and processing. A business plan for an aquaculture venture may include clear social and cultural values. Examples of iwi entering into joint venture partnerships were also provided. Today marine farming opportunities are complicated and differ to what was the situation in the 1980s. The process of creating new space under the new legislative regime is likely to be costly. It is important to view the industry as integrated encompassing for example the resource consent process, farming, harvesting, marketing, research and development. Aquaculture space will have little value if there is nowhere to sell the product. Taitokerau iwi are working together to develop a joint strategy that will enable them to identify their own goals and objectives for aquaculture, creating a solid basis for them to work with other parties, including the regional council and industry players.
SESSION 3
REGIONAL COUNCIL PROCESSES
Dan Lees is the Aquaculture Manager at the Ministry of Fisheries based in Nelson. He is a member of the implementation and coordination team that is overseeing work on government’s response to the aquaculture sector strategy.
Click here to view presentation (PDF - 281kb)
Graeme Silver trained as a coastal geographer. He joined Environment Waikato as an environmental planner in 2002 and previously worked at the Gisborne District Council. His council experience has largely focused on aquaculture. Graeme represents regional councils on the government’s implementation and coordination team.
Tania Bray joined the Marlborough District Council in 1995 as a planner. Her unofficial title is coastal planner. She has spent a lot of time working on the Marlborough Sounds Resource Management Plan of which marine farming is a part.
Click here to view presentation (PDF - 3,458kb)
The government is supportive of aquaculture development in New Zealand and is developing a response to the industry’s sector strategy. Planners from Environment Waikato and the Marlborough District Council outlined the new planning regime for aquaculture development under the Resource Management Act in their respective regions. Environment Waikato will be looking at providing for a more flexible use of existing marine farming space. Marlborough is the largest aquaculture region in New Zealand.
SESSION 4
WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL AQUACULTURE BUSINESS?
Graeme Coates has been called a “pioneer” of New Zealand aquaculture. His extensive experience in the industry includes being a fisheries management scientist with MAF in Auckland, and involvement with the New Zealand Marine Farming Association, the Aquaculture Industry Exotic Diseases Committee, the Aquaculture Law Reform Working Party, New Zealand King Salmon and Regal Salmon. He has written economic and investment reports for New Zealand PricewaterhouseCoopers New Zealand. Graeme has been involved with a wide range of resource consent applications and renewals for aquaculture ventures.
Click here to view presentation (PDF - 422 kb)
Phil Heath is the manager of NIWA’s Mahanga Bay Aquaculture Facility in Wellington. He has over 13 years of New Zealand and overseas aquaculture industry experience and specialises in recirculation systems for shellfish, seaweed aquaculture and providing appropriate advice to a number of aquaculture start-up facilities. Previously he was the manager of the Centre for Marine Resources and Mariculture at Queen’s University in Belfast.
Click here to view presentation (PDF - 1,554 kb)
Dorje Strang has been involved in mussel farming on a full-time basis since 2001 and is responsible for all of Sealord’s marine farming assets. He worked as the farm operations manager at Elaine Bay Aquaculture until 2003 before joining Sealord’s as the marine farms manager. He graduated from Lincoln University in 1995 and was involved in land-based agriculture in Australia and the United States. He believes that appropriate support from regulations will provide a strong future for aquaculture in New Zealand.
Paul Steere is the Chief Executive of New Zealand King Salmon. He has worked for Harrisons & Crosfield in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Singapore, and Southern Ocean Seafoods in Nelson. New Zealand King Salmon was formed in 1996 with the merger of New Zealand’s two largest salmon companies: Southern Ocean Seafood and Regal Salmon. The company is currently operating four sea cage sites in the Marlborough Sounds, two fresh water hatchery sites in Tentburn and Takaka and processing facilities in Nelson.
Andrew Forsythe is based at the NIWA Bream Bay Aquaculture Park as Regional Manager Aquaculture Facilities. He has more than 20 years of aquaculture industry experience from North America and Europe. He specialises in business management, aquaculture research and development, freshwater and marine production, fish health management and recirculation system design.
Click here to view presentation (PDF - 1,647 kb)
This session drew from the experience of the pioneers of aquaculture in New Zealand and discussed the economics, science and a range of marine farming ventures. Some considerations include convincing other water-space users that might oppose aquaculture, fluctuating exchange rates, production and feeding costs. Aquaculture is more than having a passion for a particular species, and can fail if the market and economics are not viable. It is important to know the customers and product. Insurance industry actuaries can provide valuable advice on risk analysis. Aquaculture takes time to develop, requires the right technology, people and species for the water type. While it can be a sound business model there is risk involved. In general, keep aquaculture simple.
SESSION 5
SECTOR STRATEGY AND MĀORI INVOLVEMENT
Callum McCallum is the Chair of the New Zealand Aquaculture Council, President of the New Zealand Oyster Industry Association and a Director on Seafic. He started Clevedon Coast Oysters in 1986.
Click here to view presentation (PDF - 2,939kb)
Peter Vitasovich is the Chairman of the New Zealand Mussel Industry Council Limited and is an executive member of the New Zealand Aquaculture Council. He is the managing director of Greenshell New Zealand Limited which is in a joint venture partnership with the Hauraki Maori Trust Board. Peter has been involved in the seafood industry for 29 years.
Mike Burrell is now Chief Executive Officer of New Zealand Aquaculture Limited. He was previously a Senior Managing Consultant with LECG Ltd. In that role he advised industry, government, and international agencies on industry development, strategy, and public policy. He assisted with the development of the New Zealand Aquaculture Strategy and advised the New Zealand Aquaculture Council on the implementation of the strategy.
Click here to view presentation (PDF - 85kb)
Wayne Morgan is the Director of Industry and Regional Development at the Ministry of Economic Development. He is a member of the implementation and coordination team that is overseeing work on government’s response to the aquaculture sector strategy.
Click here to view the draft National Aquaculture Position Statement
(PDF - 87kb)
The aquaculture sector strategy is an industry led strategy that is a 10 point plan toward the industry’s goal of achieving value of $1 billion by 2025. Māori are poised to be future major players in the aquaculture industry and there are opportunities for Māori representation in the new organisation. Strengthening and building stakeholder partnerships is crucial to the future of aquaculture in New Zealand. To that end, it is proposed that the Takutai Trust and iwi each appoint a director to the proposed new national organisation: New Zealand Aquaculture Limited.
The National Position Statement on aquaculture outlines government’s high level commitment to aquaculture.
WORKSHOP RESOLUTION
A resolution was passed at the workshop that Harry Mikaere (Hauraki Māori Trust Board) is the interim Iwi representative and a Director on New Zealand Aquaculture Limited. This position will be reviewed and ratified at the Māori Fisheries Conference in April 2007