The Aquaculture Settlement - History
Purpose | History | Signing
Aquaculture did not begin to develop as an industry in New Zealand until the early 1990s. By the end of that decade, the demand for farmed seafood – mainly Mussels, Oysters and Salmon – rapidly grew and the demand for waterspace increased.
By the late 1990s, it became clear that the legislation for planning and approving marine farms could not cope with the growth of New Zealand’s aquaculture industry. In 1998, the government began reviewing the law and in 2001, they proposed a new regime which would more clearly restrict the places where aquaculture can be conducted. This meant that aquaculture would only be able to take place within Aquaculture Management Areas (AMAs) defined by regional councils under the Resource Management Act 1991.
However, a number of iwi organisations sought and won a declaration in the Waitangi Tribunal that these changes would breach the Treaty of Waitangi in 2002. The Tribunal published its findings in a report entitled Ahu Moana: The Aquaculture and Marine Farming Report.
Along with the legislation that implements the aquaculture reforms, the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act was passed in 2004 as the Crown’s response to the claim. It provides for iwi organisations with a coastal rohe/area to receive authorisations to apply for resource consents to establish marine farms in 20 percent of all AMAs created by regional councils.
