The Times Australia
The Times World News

.

Māori hold a third of NZ’s fishing interests, but as the ocean warms and fish migrate, these rights don't move with them

  • Written by Maui Hudson, Associate Professor, Director of Te Kotahi Research Institute, University of Waikato
Māori hold a third of NZ’s fishing interests, but as the ocean warms and fish migrate, these rights don't move with them

Record high ocean temperatures and marine heatwaves[1] have become increasingly common in the waters off New Zealand in the past decade.

During the same period, commercial fisheries have landed lower volumes for several fish stocks, including hoki and tarakihi.

Māori hold almost a third of commercial fisheries interests in Aotearoa, but these are constrained to certain areas. The impacts of warming seas on Māori communities’ cultural and economic future well-being are not well understood.

For many Māori, fisheries are the most significant assets. With my colleagues Tony Craig and Katherine Short at Terra Moana, we explored how changing ocean temperatures may affect Māori commercial fisheries as part of the Moana Project[2].

Most of the fish species of interest to New Zealand’s commercial, recreational and customary fishers are managed under the government’s Quota Management System (QMS[3]).

It was introduced in 1986 and determines allowable fish harvests, known as “total allowable catch” (TAC[4]). The system replaced open access with set catch limits and transferable quota rights, which means quota holders can trade and sell their catch allowance.

The impacts of climate change on the marine environment are well documented in the latest report[5] by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC[6]). They include marine heatwaves, more severe storms, rising sea levels and changes in salinity, stratification, circulation, oxygen levels and acidity.

Read more: Putting the community back into business: what te ao Māori can teach us about sustainable management[7]

As our moana (ocean) changes, so will the distribution of fish species.

Recent reviews[8] analysed the effects of climate change on New Zealand’s commercial fisheries[9] and found most fished species to be vulnerable to changes in temperature.

Any geographical expansion or shift in fish stocks will have major implications for Māori commercial seafood interests, given quota ownership is limited to specified management areas.

The distribution of fisheries is changing

Snapper, for example, prefer[10] waters of 12-21℃. This correlates with better survival rates of larval and subsequent life stages.

This also matches with fishers’ observations of significant increases in snapper in Te Moana-a-Toi/Bay of Plenty where sea surface temperatures reached up to 2.4℃ above average in the first six months of 2022.

Snapper
Snapper are most common in warmer waters around New Zealand. Getty Images

Recent declines in tarakihi in Te Moana-a-Toi have largely been attributed to overfishing. But given this migratory fish is known to travel from Banks Peninsula in the south to Te Moana-a-Toi in the north, it is also feasible that changing temperatures have affected the locations of spawning, which is usually triggered when temperatures are below 16℃, and restricted the species’ migratory journey.

Fishers have also recently caught snapper and kingfish around Rakiura/Stewart Island, an area previously considered too cold for these species. What if finding snapper around Rakiura represents both an expansion in the species’ distribution and a geographical shift?

Read more: Why Indigenous knowledge should be an essential part of how we govern the world's oceans[11]

The quota system is not set up for a changing ocean

In the negotiations between Māori and the Crown leading up to the 1992 Fisheries Settlement[12], climate variability from El Niño and La Niña weather patterns was considered, but little thought was given to the implications of climate change.

New Zealand’s exclusive economic zone is divided into ten fisheries management areas (FMAs). Based on the known biological distribution of QMS fish stocks, quota management areas (QMAs) were defined for individual species. Some align with FMAs, but with environmental change and fish movement related to climate change, the future footprint of fisheries may differ considerably from the time QMAs were defined.

Climate change will affect Māori fisheries and aquaculture ownership rights and interests. If fished species move into new areas, this will affect the rights of individual iwi under the fisheries settlement. The allocation of quota under the settlement will be affected over time by the relationship between static iwi land interests and mobile fish stocks.

Two species, hoki and snapper, illustrate how this could play out.

Maps of quota management areas fro hoki and snapper.
NIWA[13] Excluding the Kermadec Islands where neither species is caught, hoki can be considered as having a single QMA (left map above). This means that quota ownership is not likely to be affected by any climate-related geographical shift as any stock movement remains within one QMA. Conversely, snapper (right map above) is fished in five quota management areas, and any geographical change could have major consequences for individual area-based quota allocations. Of the fished areas, the Snapper 1 (SNA1) fishery is by far the biggest, with a total allowable catch of 8,050 metric tons (mt) allocated annually between commercial (4,500mt), recreational (3,500mt) and customary (50mt) interests. Quota value changes over time To understand the potential implications of geographical shifts of fished species, we determined the changes in quota values for some species over the past ten years. How science and policy respond to the potential implications of climate change will be critical for iwi interests. Māori now own 33% of New Zealand’s fishing quota volume (47% of value). These iwi revenue streams are vulnerable to climate change, rendering the fisheries settlements less timeless than intended. It is critical for iwi to understand how their rights and interests in the marine environment are likely to evolve. To uphold iwi interests, we need economic analysis alongside the science exploring the effects of climate change on stocks. This will better enable iwi, as kaitiaki and right holders, to participate in the marine reform agenda[14] announced last year to ensure the long-term health and resilience of ocean and coastal ecosystems, including fisheries. Tony Craig and Katherine Short, at Terra Moana, carried out the primary research. Maui Hudson leads the research within the Moana Project, where this work was completed.

References

  1. ^ marine heatwaves (www.moanaproject.org)
  2. ^ Moana Project (www.moanaproject.org)
  3. ^ QMS (www.mpi.govt.nz)
  4. ^ TAC (fs.fish.govt.nz)
  5. ^ latest report (www.ipcc.ch)
  6. ^ IPCC (www.ipcc.ch)
  7. ^ Putting the community back into business: what te ao Māori can teach us about sustainable management (theconversation.com)
  8. ^ reviews (niwa.co.nz)
  9. ^ commercial fisheries (fs.fish.govt.nz)
  10. ^ prefer (fs.fish.govt.nz)
  11. ^ Why Indigenous knowledge should be an essential part of how we govern the world's oceans (theconversation.com)
  12. ^ 1992 Fisheries Settlement (teohu.maori.nz)
  13. ^ NIWA (marlin.niwa.co.nz)
  14. ^ marine reform agenda (www.beehive.govt.nz)

Read more https://theconversation.com/maori-hold-a-third-of-nzs-fishing-interests-but-as-the-ocean-warms-and-fish-migrate-these-rights-dont-move-with-them-186284

Times Magazine

Headless CMS in Digital Twins and 3D Product Experiences

Image by freepik As the metaverse becomes more advanced and accessible, it's clear that multiple sectors will use digital twins and 3D product experiences to visualize, connect, and streamline efforts better. A digital twin is a virtual replica of ...

The Decline of Hyper-Casual: How Mid-Core Mobile Games Took Over in 2025

In recent years, the mobile gaming landscape has undergone a significant transformation, with mid-core mobile games emerging as the dominant force in app stores by 2025. This shift is underpinned by changing user habits and evolving monetization tr...

Understanding ITIL 4 and PRINCE2 Project Management Synergy

Key Highlights ITIL 4 focuses on IT service management, emphasising continual improvement and value creation through modern digital transformation approaches. PRINCE2 project management supports systematic planning and execution of projects wit...

What AI Adoption Means for the Future of Workplace Risk Management

Image by freepik As industrial operations become more complex and fast-paced, the risks faced by workers and employers alike continue to grow. Traditional safety models—reliant on manual oversight, reactive investigations, and standardised checklist...

From Beach Bops to Alpine Anthems: Your Sonos Survival Guide for a Long Weekend Escape

Alright, fellow adventurers and relaxation enthusiasts! So, you've packed your bags, charged your devices, and mentally prepared for that glorious King's Birthday long weekend. But hold on, are you really ready? Because a true long weekend warrior kn...

Effective Commercial Pest Control Solutions for a Safer Workplace

Keeping a workplace clean, safe, and free from pests is essential for maintaining productivity, protecting employee health, and upholding a company's reputation. Pests pose health risks, can cause structural damage, and can lead to serious legal an...

The Times Features

Duke of Dural to Get Rooftop Bar as New Owners Invest in Venue Upgrade

The Duke of Dural, in Sydney’s north-west, is set for a major uplift under new ownership, following its acquisition by hospitality group Good Beer Company this week. Led by resp...

Prefab’s Second Life: Why Australia’s Backyard Boom Needs a Circular Makeover

The humble granny flat is being reimagined not just as a fix for housing shortages, but as a cornerstone of circular, factory-built architecture. But are our systems ready to s...

Melbourne’s Burglary Boom: Break-Ins Surge Nearly 25%

Victorian homeowners are being warned to act now, as rising break-ins and falling arrest rates paint a worrying picture for suburban safety. Melbourne residents are facing an ...

Exploring the Curriculum at a Modern Junior School in Melbourne

Key Highlights The curriculum at junior schools emphasises whole-person development, catering to children’s physical, emotional, and intellectual needs. It ensures early year...

Distressed by all the bad news? Here’s how to stay informed but still look after yourself

If you’re feeling like the news is particularly bad at the moment, you’re not alone. But many of us can’t look away – and don’t want to. Engaging with news can help us make ...

The Role of Your GP in Creating a Chronic Disease Management Plan That Works

Living with a long-term condition, whether that is diabetes, asthma, arthritis or heart disease, means making hundreds of small decisions every day. You plan your diet against m...