End of year updates from Te Ohu Kaimoana

Nau mai Maru Samuels

 

Te Ohu Kaimoana is proud to announce the appointment of Maru Samuels (Ngāi Te Rangi, Te Rarawa, Ngai Takoto) as an Alternate Director to the Board of Te Ohu Kaimoana. Maru brings with him a wealth of fisheries management experience and policy knowledge currently serving as a Director for Ngāti Maru (Taranaki) Fishing Company Limited, DeepWater Group, Trident Systems, Inshore JV as well as the General Manager of Iwi Collective Partnership. Maru will succeed Pahia Turia’s Alternate position and will begin his term in the new year. E mihi ana ki a koe e Maru.

Te Ohu Kaimoana office close down details

Our office will be closed from 5:00pm Friday 20 December and will open again on Monday 6 January 2020. If you require any urgent support throughout this time, please contact Bede Dwyer on 021 073 9684.

Te Ohu Kaimoana 2018/2019 dividend from Aotearoa Fisheries Limited

Te Ohu Kaimoana is pleased to announce that we have begun the distribution of funds from Te Ohu Kai Moana Trustee Limited’s 2018/19 annual dividend from Aotearoa Fisheries Limited (trading as Moana New Zealand) to Mandated Iwi Organisations (Iwi).

Te Ohu Kaimoana will be distributing a total of $2.25m in funds following the Special General Meeting with Iwi in July where the decision was reached by both parties to distribute the annual dividend; the first time in Te Ohu Kaimoana’s history. This is due in part to the hold up in of amendments to the Maori Fisheries Act 2004 being passed by the current coalition Government.

The status of the distribution of funds is that overnight 33 Iwi will have their share of the funds distributed, with 12 Iwi needing to complete their paperwork and 11 Iwi yet to make contact with Te Ohu Kaimoana.

What do Iwi need to provide in order for Te Ohu Kaimoana to process their payment?

  • confirmation of the legal name of the entity. Please note that the dividend can only be distributed to the Mandated Iwi Organisation
  • a deposit slip of the entity
  • and a copy of the signed undertaking.

Please send this to ika@teohu.maori.nz. If you believe you’ve already returned a signed copy of the undertaking and have received this email in error, please get in contact via (04) 931 9500.

April 2020 Sustainability Round

The April 2020 Sustainability Round has commenced with Fisheries New Zealand’s release of their consultation documents.

In order to provide Mandated Iwi Organisations with the adequate time needed to provide input for this process, please click here to see a summary table of the proposed options.

Please consider this the first step our engagement with you during this process. From here, we intend to gain a better sense of Iwi positions on these stocks, and continue consultation moving further into the round.

Please feel free to comment in the spaces provided in the summary table, and send to us via email to: ika@teohu.maori.nz

Proposed timeline and consultation process:

Consultation document is released by FNZ 13 Dec 2019
First draft out to iwi 16 Jan 2020
Feedback from iwi received 23 Jan 2020
If major changes a second draft to be circulated 27 Jan 2020
Submissions due to FNZ 5 Feb 2020

 

Seeking your input on a reform to the Emissions Trading Scheme

Consultation is open for the Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading Reform) Amendment Bill, otherwise known as the ‘ETS Reform Bill’. The ETS Reform Bill follows the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Act 2019, but instead focuses specifically on the Emissions Trading Scheme.

The ETS Reform Bill seeks to help New Zealand’s Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) to achieve emission reduction and offsets and make the ETS more assessible and improve its administration.

Proposed changes being made to the ETS reform Bill include:

  • Implementation of New Zealand’s international climate commitments and domestic targets and emission budgets set under the Zero Carbon Bill reforms.
  • Changes to ETS units including a limit set on New Zealand ETS units available and the approved overseas units available.
  • Compliance to be strengthened with new penalties being introduced.
  • Greater transparency with data on individual businesses emission and removals being made publicly available.

Notable changes to the ETS Reform Bill for the agriculture and forestry sector include: the obligation of the agriculture sector to account for its emissions being delayed to 2025 and several operational and technical forestry changes.

Te Ohu Kaimoana’s initial thoughts are to advocate for strengthening provisions in the Bill made for the Treaty of Waitangi and all subsequently Settlements and greater engagement with iwi/Māori.

Please get in contact with Monique Holmes, via email: Monique.holmes@teohu.maori.nz if you’re interested in contributing to this kaupapa.

Update on Rangitāhua

Following our workshop with Iwi in Auckland on 20 September, Te Ohu Kaimoana was given a clear set of parameters from Iwi for future dealings with the Crown regarding Rangitāhua / Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary.

Earlier this month, representatives of Te Ohu Kaimoana met with Prime Minister Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern, Deputy Prime Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters and other representatives of the coalition Government to discuss the Rangitāhua impasse and propose a collaborative pathway forward.

The principles and parameters agreed by iwi at the 20 September hui were presented at the meeting as the basis of a more constructive way forward. Te Ohu Kaimoana will continue to work with the Government on this matter in the new year and will look to hold a follow up Iwi workshop on this kaupapa in the New Year. 

What’s happening with hoki?

In August we met with the Hoki Iwi Working Group to finalise our response to the review of the TAC and management controls for the hoki fishery. Following that hui, the Deepwater Group (DWG) brought all hoki fishing interests together to finalise the industry position for the 2019/20 fishery.

The industry proposed a package of measures that went beyond the Minister’s proposals. The Minister endorsed the industry management package but decided to reduce the TACC rather than give effect to the catch reduction via the shelving of ACE. The DWG has set up a meeting to take place in February with the Minister to discuss his decision and to get a better understanding of his choice.  The DWG also convened a meeting in Nelson in November to discuss concerns about the quality of the hoki assessment model.

A fishery assessment working group meeting subsequently confirmed that there are concerns over the accuracy of the model predictions, and a meeting of quota owners is to be held in late January/early February to discuss the state of the fishery. The meeting will address the need for additional management measures if there are concerns for the state of the stock.