The Minister for Oceans and Fisheries is a
minister
Minister may refer to:
* Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric
** Minister (Catholic Church)
* Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department)
** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...
in the
New Zealand Government
, background_color = #012169
, image = New Zealand Government wordmark.svg
, image_size=250px
, date_established =
, country = New Zealand
, leader_title = Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
, appointed = Governor-General
, main_organ =
, ...
responsible for the management of New Zealand's fisheries, including aquaculture, and for oceans policy.
The present minister is
Shane Jones, a member of the
New Zealand First
New Zealand First ( mi, Aotearoa Tuatahi), commonly abbreviated to NZ First, is a nationalist and populist political party in New Zealand. The party formed in July 1993 following the resignation on 19 March 1993 of its leader and founder, Winst ...
party.
Responsibilities
The Minister oversees Fisheries New Zealand, a business unit of the
Ministry for Primary Industries (previously, the
Ministry of Fisheries
An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...
).
The Minister has responsibility for legislation related to fisheries, including the
Fisheries Act 1996
The Fisheries Act 1996 is a New Zealand Act of Parliament. It is divided into five areas: recreational, customary, environmental, commercial and international fishing. It is currently administered by the Ministry of Primary Industries, but was ...
, the
Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act 2004, the Maori Fisheries Act 2004 and the Treaty of Waitangi (Fisheries Claims) Settlement Act 1992.
History
The position was established in 1977 during the
Muldoon government
The Third National Government of New Zealand (also known as the Muldoon Government) was the government of New Zealand from 1975 to 1984. It was an economically conservative government that aimed to preserve the Keynesian economic system establi ...
. Previously, responsibility for fisheries was exercised by the
Minister of Marine until 1972 and by the
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was a United Kingdom cabinet position, responsible for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The post was originally named President of the Board of Agriculture and was created in 1889. ...
until 1977. For a brief period from 2010 to 2011, the portfolio was known as Fisheries and Aquaculture. From 2011 until 2017, it was combined with related portfolios into the
Minister for Primary Industries.
The title change to Minister for Oceans and Fisheries in 2020 was intended to balance commercial and environmental issues. Responsibility for oceans policy was previously in the remit of the
Minister of Conservation.
List of ministers
The following ministers held the office of Minister of Fisheries.
;Key
Table footnotes:
See also
*
Aquaculture in New Zealand
Aquaculture started to take off in New Zealand in the 1980s. It is dominated by mussels, oysters and salmon.FAO:National Aquaculture Sector Overview: New ZealandFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome. In 2007, aquaculture ...
*
Fishing industry in New Zealand
As with other countries, New Zealand’s 200 nautical miles exclusive economic zone gives its fishing industry special fishing rights. It covers 4.1 million square kilometres. This is the sixth largest zone in the world, and is fourteen times th ...
Notes
References
*
{{NZ ministerial portfolios
Fisheries
Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, both ...