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Credit: Ayushi Kachhara NIWA 2018
Guidance

Tackling the issues facing Aotearoa New Zealand's marine environments

This policy brief describes how our past and current research is addressing 4 significant issues facing New Zealand's marine ecosystems.

The state of our marine environment has not improved in the last three years. Resilient coasts and oceans are essential to New Zealanders’ health and wealth, so urgent action is needed to address the decline. Shifting to ecosystem-based management is critical to manage risk and sustain Aotearoa’s coasts and oceans. This is even more important given the ongoing impacts of climate change.

Our mahi directly addresses many of the issues identified in the Our Marine Environment report (MfE and StatsNZ, October 2019) but there are four areas of particular note: land-sea interactions and cumulative effects, incorporating tikanga and mātauranga Māori, impacts on marine values, and the blue economy.

We are mission-led, so our co-developed 2019–2024 research strategy is focused on impact and implementation. All of our 2019–2024 projects are also being co-developed with central and regional government, marine managers, Māori, industry and other interest groups, to ensure the ecosystem-based management (EBM) knowledge and tools we develop are fit-for purpose.

Land-sea interactions and cumulative effects

Coastal and marine ecosystems deliver multiple benefits and services, but they are increasingly under stress from nutrients, sediments and contaminants running off the land. As well as their direct impacts, these stressors interact with each other leading to cumulative effects (CE). Tackling CE is one of the most urgent and complex issues facing Aotearoa’s coasts and oceans.

Improving monitoring and more research to address information gaps that hinder our understanding is important – but only part of the story. We need urgent action to change the way stressors and CE are managed. Shifting from a fragmented and inconsistent approach to a consistent, holistic, ki uta ki tai (mountains to deep sea) strategy is the only feasible way to tackle CE.

Sustainable Seas is leading collaborations with central government agencies, local and regional councils, Māori, and industry. 

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Incorporating tikanga and mātauranga Māori into monitoring and management

Māori ways of knowing and doing have to be part of the solution when addressing the issues Aotearoa’s marine ecosystems face.

Sustainable Seas has research focused on improving the way Māori knowledge, practice, interests and rights can inform, guide and partner in marine management.

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Impact on marine values

Our Marine Environment highlighted the impact of ecosytem decline on New Zealanders’ non-economic marine values.

Economic benefits such as employment opportunities are an important consideration in marine environmental planning, policy and decision-making, but are not the only ones that need to be incorporated. However, intangible values are often not properly considered, or even recognised, until they are already irreparably damaged or lost.

We need better ways to identify, and take into account, the importance of ecological, social, cultural and spiritual values as part of Aotearoa’s marine management.

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A ‘blue’ marine economy

Our Marine Environment notes that our oceans support us ecologically and spiritually, as well as financially. Many New Zealanders earn their living from the seas; ensuring that future generations have this opportunity, without losing ecological and spiritual values, is part of our mission.

What is a ‘blue economy’?
We define this as marine activities that generate economic value and contribute positively to social, cultural and ecological well-being.

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Tackling the issues facing Aotearoa New Zealand's marine environments, 2019

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