Advancing ecosystem-based management in Aotearoa New Zealand through current governance arrangements

Key points:

• Ecosystem-based management (EBM) in New Zealand (NZ) could be supported by existing legislation, but it is not.
• Elements that could be part of an EBM approach are being implemented but are uncoordinated.
• EBM in NZ will be very specific to the NZ context and may look quite different from how EBM is developing in other jurisdictions.
• To advance EBM, existing legislation needs to be strengthened and linked.
• Fragmentation has been created through a lack of policy, operational leadership, and governance arrangements that do not adequately empower collaborative management processes.
• There is a paucity of guidance material about what EBM is and might be.
• The Treaty of Waitangi, and legislation arising from Treaty responsibilities, is a significant enabler of EBM principles.
• Holistic management of ecological integrity and co-governance structures could be supported more fully.
• EBM could be better enabled by a range of non-regulatory changes.
• Resources to support implementation are required, including voluntary protocols to guide marine management, and the appointment of champions of EBM.