Aquatic Environment and Biodiversity Annual Review 2012

AEBAR 2012: Appendices
Policy 23: Discharge of contaminants (especially with respect to impacts on ecosystems and
habitats).
12.8.5. Management of Activities in the EEZ
In August 2007 the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) released a discussion paper “Improving
regulation of environmental effects in New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone” seeking comment on
a preferred legislative option for managing the impacts of activities in the EEZ. The discussion paper
stated that environmental effects in the EEZ were, at that time, managed by sector-specific legislation,
which creates the following problems:
• gaps and inconsistencies in the operational control of environmental effects
• unclear environmental outcomes against which activities and their effects should be assessed
• uncertainty for investors about the regulatory environment
• uncertainty about how the effects of activities on each other should be managed.
The MfE website (http://www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/oceans/current-work/index.html) states that EEZ
legislation is a priority for the current government. In response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the
Ministry of Economic Development is commissioning an independent study on New Zealand's health,
safety and environmental provisions around minerals activities such as deep sea drilling. This report,
along with the proposed legislation developed by the last government, will be considered by Ministers
before making final policy and timeline decisions for EEZ legislation.
Proposals for EEZ legislation to manage effects other than those caused by fishing do not directly
apply to fisheries management decision-making under the Fisheries Act. However, there are issues
around the management of cumulative effects (e.g., of more than one activity on benthic
communities) and around effects of any proposed new activities in the EEZ on fishing activity already
occurring. Some projects already completed or currently underway are likely to be useful for these
processes (e.g., detailed maps of fishing effort produced under ENV2001/07 and BEN2006/01 and
enhancements of the Marine Environment Classification produced under ZBD2005-02 for demersal
fishes and BEN2006/01A for benthic invertebrates).
12.8.6. Ministry for Research Science and Technology
Roadmaps
The Ministry for Science Research and Technology (MRST, now a component of the Ministry of
Business, Innovation and Employment, MBIE) stated in its 2006 overview “Science for New Zealand”
that our science system aims to set long-term direction for RS&T, but allows flexibility to alter
direction as needs and opportunities change. Recent direction setting has replaced periodic national
processes with a range of continuous processes, often focused on particular areas or topics including:
• Government-led strategy processes around particular areas of national need or opportunity.
The Biodiversity Strategy and Biosecurity Strategy are recent examples that have led to
changes in institutional arrangements, policies, and funding in RS&T.
• More focused processes by research organisations and or user communities around how a
particular area of science could better support national needs, or may be needed to retain or
build new capability. These may be endorsed by Ministers or implemented directly by
research organisations.
• ‘Roadmaps for Science’, led by MRST, aimed at developing and coordinating RS&T
directions and bringing a stronger RS&T perspective to other Government strategies.
Roadmaps describe New Zealand’s current research activity, interpret Government’s
objectives and strategies in the area, and provide guidance to public research investment
agencies as well as other participants in the science system.
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