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The Green Party will protect the health of our oceans, all the creatures that live in and on them, and the people and communities who depend on healthy oceans for our survival and wellbeing. |
Healthy and thriving shorelines and oceans for all.
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Healthy Oceans Act
The Green Party will pass a Healthy Oceans Act to create a legally binding framework to protect at least 30 percent of Aotearoa’s ocean by 2030.
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Healthy Oceans Commission
A politically independent Ocean Commission will be created to guide work on the Healthy Oceans Act and to ensure action to meet the 30x30 target is consistent with te Tiriti o Waitangi and ecosystem-based management.
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Green Party Minister for the Oceans
We will make a Green Minister for Oceans a priority in post-election negotiations so action to create the Ocean Commission can be taken in the first 100 days of a new government.
The ocean shapes all of our lives. A healthy ocean is critical for feeding us, supporting our wellbeing and mental health, and one of the greatest tools we have for addressing the climate crisis.
But, right now, all of that is being put at risk. Climate change, plastic pollution, habitat destruction, deep sea mining, and overfishing have pushed the ocean to the brink.
Less than 1% of Aotearoa’s seas are currently protected and our fisheries are no longer abundant - due to a system that encourages overfishing, and fails to properly enforce protections.
The crisis facing our ocean is growing more urgent by the day - and it is communities who depend on the moana for their livelihoods, including Māori and Pasifika, who will be impacted most of all.
The time is now for a government that will show the political leadership necessary to put ocean health ahead of corporate profit - and to put the Green Party in charge of making it happen.
The top priorities for a Green Party Minister for the Oceans
- Establish a new, politically independent Ocean Commission to work with iwi, hapū, and local communities to advise the government on solutions that work for people and nature.
- Pass a new Healthy Ocean Act in the next three years to create a legally binding framework to protect at least 30 percent of Aotearoa’s ocean by 2030
- Ban the most destructive corporate fishing methods such as bottom trawling and create a $60 million fund to support the transition to fishing within sustainable limits
Over the last six years more action has been taken on freshwater, conservation, waste and climate change than ever before thanks to the work of Green Party Ministers.