CEO's Introduction
He Kororia ki te Atua
He maungarongo ki runga i te whenua
He whakaaro pai ki nga tangata katoa
Nga whakaaro ki a ratou kua wheturangitia, me ou ratou whanau i noho ai i raro i te kapua pouri. Nga manaakitanga o te Atua ki runga i a tatou katoa.
Thank you to all those who attended our recent hui a tau at Pipitea Marae on 25 February this year. While the number of people who attended has been fewer than previous years, notably since the passing of the Maori Fisheries Act, there is still significant interest among iwi managers in issues concerning the marine environment.
The annual meeting provides us with an opportunity to answer your questions about the direction and management of Te Ohu Kaimoana, as well as outline our programme for the future. All presentations made to the Hui a Tau can be viewed on our website at http://teohu.maori.nz/te_ohu/hui-a-tau.htm
This year will be a busy one for Te Ohu Kaimoana. It is our aim to have all iwi that wish to be mandated, approved by March next year. This will allow all of the assets allocated on the basis of population to be transferred to iwi and is our number one priority for 2006. It is the number one priority, we believe, for iwi as well.
This is an ambitious plan that will require both iwi and us to work together cooperatively to achieve. It is imperative that allocation remains on track and that we get all iwi through the Maori Fisheries Act processes as quickly as possible.
Already the year has presented some interesting developments. One exciting industry initiative that requires iwi attention is the move to protect almost a third of our EEZ environment through closing areas to bottom trawling. Aotearoa Fisheries Limited and Sealord were at the forefront of this initiative, which will require legislative effect from the Government. Details of this development are highlighted in this issue of Te Tai Pari.
There are likely to be other important developments that will occur this year regarding policy and legislative changes to the marine environment. We will send out information as it comes to hand, however, please contact Kirsty Woods, our fisheries policy manager, if you wish to know more.
Finally, we welcome in this newsletter an article from Jodie Reid, the wife of our Global Fisheries Programme Scholarship winner Nathan Reid, who is in Tokyo studying fisheries management with our Sealord partner, Nippon Suisan Kaisha. We will provide updates from Jodie from time to time and hope you enjoy reading them.
Kia ora,
Peter Douglas
Chief Executive
If you have any news or events coming up that you'd like covered
in an issue of Te Tai Pari, drop us an email at
Tiakina ngā rawa hi ika, a tātou kaimoana mo ngā uri whakaheke
Protecting Māori fisheries assets for future generations