Abundant oceans teeming with kaimoana.
The Green Party will restore the mauri (life force) of our moana through bold marine protection initiatives.
The vast moana surrounding Aotearoa is a taonga. New Zealanders deserve to have healthy and thriving oceans, with abundant marine life that provides sustainable kaimoana.
Right now, our oceans are under severe stress. Overfishing, destructive bottom trawling, plastic pollution and climate change have driven marine ecosystems towards collapse. Iconic species like tipa (scallops) and koura (crayfish) are now functionally extinct in some places. Across the country, whole communities can’t access local kaimoana because decades of overfishing has plundered stocks for profit.
The current Government has relentlessly prioritised short-term commercial profits over long-term ocean health. They have cut industry levies, allowed fishing in high-protection areas, delayed bans on bottom trawling and proposed drastic changes that would reverse our fisheries regulations.
The Green Party will always put the health of our oceans above corporate interests. We will place Te Tiriti o Waitangi at the centre of our approach to restoring the abundance of our moana. We will work towards every New Zealander enjoying the right to gather kaimoana and experiencing abundant marine life for generations to come.
Our plan
- Protect at least 30% of New Zealand’s ocean territory by 2030 through reforming marine protected areas legislation to ensure it is fit for purpose and enables both tikanga-led tools consistent with Te Tiriti, and approaches to improve ocean health outcomes.
- Phase out damaging fishing methods, starting by banning bottom trawling on seamounts, and banning set netting and dredging.
- Ban seabed mining in the coastal marine area and the exclusive economic zone and maintain pressure for a moratorium on seabed mining in international waters.
- Embed kaitiakitanga Māori in marine policy and operational management. Resource iwi and hapū to lead oceans protection and implement mātauranga- and tikanga-based projects for ocean conservation.
- Reduce fisheries bycatch of protected species by ensuring cameras are rolled out on the entire fishing fleet and by setting fisheries-related mortality limits.
- Ratify the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction and support marine protection proposals in the high seas, Southern Ocean and throughout the Pacific.
- Review the Quota Management System and move towards an ecosystem-based fisheries management model, in line with the Māori fisheries settlements.