Our report for Q3 is now available
31 Hōngongoi 2020
The third quarter was different from most, as level 4 and level 3 lockdown changed both the way we worked and priorities of our work. In this report, we share the highlights and focus from the quarter – supporting Iwi in their COVID responses, and continuing engagement work on important policy matters.
It’s no surprise that supporting Iwi access to fisheries was a key part of our work during this time. Staff worked with the Board to both actively support the efforts of Iwi and our fishing companies to provide kaimoana to the nation, Iwi, hapū and whānau. It also highlighted the importance of maintaining access to fisheries resources during such times, recognising the threats to this that come about from application of blunt policy tools that favour protection over sustainable use.
Scheduled policy work also continued. The policy team provided advice on behalf of Mandated Iwi Organisations to the Minister of Fisheries following the review of sustainability measures and other management controls for the 2020/21 fishing year. The work involved high levels of engagement with MIOs throughout Aotearoa and with key staff from our fishing companies.
Another element in our policy work over the quarter was building on the work undertaken in the second quarter with officials from the Natural resource Sector agencies. This work was focussed on providing advice to joint Ministers on the development of a public discussion document on the relative merit of Marine Protected Area policy.
For further information about our priorities and work in the quarter, read the Q3 report here.