• Graphic

Aotearoa New Zealand's key marine legislation

This poster shows key pieces of legislation in our marine realm, and where they apply.

 At least 20 pieces of legislation apply to our marine environment and our activities in it. Legislation is a law or a set of laws made by the New Zealand Parliament. The aim of the graphic in the poster is to communicate the complex and fragmented legal framework for marine management in Aotearoa New Zealand.

About the graphic

This graphic shows key pieces of legislation that protect the marine environment and manage its resourcesIt does not contain a complete list of all the national and international legislation in our marine space. Also, it does not show the many rules and regulations in the legislation, nor is it to scale either.

As such, the poster is a useful conversation starter but must not be taken as legal advice. The spatial ranges in the graphic are guided by NIWA's chart of New Zealand's Marine Realm.

If you'd like to adapt this graphic, please contact [email protected] 

Click image to enlarge 

  • Sustainable Seas Marine Legislation JPEG

    437 KB | JPEG image - good for photos

  • Sustainable Seas Marine Legislation PNG

    1.8 MB | PNG image - good general-purpose format

  • Sustainable Seas Marine Legislation Poster PDF

    1017 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF file