This series aims to whakamana (empower) the voices of researchers, co-developers, Māori partners and communities of research and practice as…
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Ripples of hope have risen from the work of marine researchers, kaitiaki, and community members who’ve pooled their knowledge for the good of the ocean.
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This is a research round-up of our tools, resources and research that support an ecosystem-based management (EBM) approach to the seafood industry (July 2022)
These tools and resources are organised according to the 5 goals from Seafood NZ's draft strategy:
This impact case study describes how recommendations for designing robust monitoring programmes are being taken up by regional councils. Our Tipping Points project identified the critical factors to consider, and the recommended data required, for a robust monitoring programme.
We developed user-focused guidance that summarises the research findings and provides clear recommendations for implementation, as well as directly engaging with marine managers. As a result, some recommendations already been put into effect by Auckland Council, and are being considered by other regional councils.
Contact: Judi Hewitt, University of Auckland
We investigated the impact of suspended sediment on two sea-floor animals: dog cockles and common sponge. The aim was to understand how resilient these species are, and how quickly they can recover from suspended sediment levels caused by human activities, such as fishing. Results show they can recover – under certain experimental conditions.
Contact: Malcolm Clark, NIWA
We studied the effects of environmental change and removal of marine resources on the food web structure of coastal and offshore fisheries from pre-industrial to present times. Two peer-reviewed publications (both open access) have been produced that may be of specific interest to fisheries.
Durante et al (2020) looked at how food web structures of commercial fish species in New Zealand have changed over time (from 1930 to 2019). The data provides a history of the development of industrialised fishing in New Zealand and important ecological baseline information.
Udy et al (2019) explored kelp food webs in temperate rocky reef fish communities to increase understanding of ecosystem function and variability in fisheries production. The findings highlight the need for EBM approaches to recognise spatial variability in primary production that supports coastal food webs.
Contact: Steve Wing, University of Otago
This academic publication (open access) outlines the methodology and results of an investigation into the effects of bottom-contact fishing and sedimentation on the decline of green-lipped mussel, oyster and scallop fisheries in Tasman and Golden Bays.
The researchers conclude that historic legacy effects, ongoing sedimentation and fishing disturbance have worked together to modify the sediment characteristics from ‘natural’ baseline conditions. Those changes have likely contributed to the collapse and lack of recovery of Nelson Bays shellfish fisheries.
We investigated the effects of multiple stressors and cumulative impacts on marine ecosystems. Stressors can be caused by unexpected events (such as earthquakes) or impacts of human activities (such as increased sediment, nutrients or contaminants in the water), or climate change. These stressors can lead to ‘tipping points’ when rapid transformations occur, and an ecosystem loses its capacity to cope with change. Tipping points often involve the loss of valuable marine resources, or ecosystem services.
Our research suggests there is a growing need to apply an ecosystem-based management framework to manage risk and sustain New Zealand’s coastal ecosystems. Numerous peer-reviewed academic publications have stemmed from this research.
Contact: Simon Thrush, University of Auckland
We traced the fate of water and sediments from land through coastal food webs, evaluating connections between coastal and deep sea habitats, and identified the effects of key coastal developments (such as aquaculture) on food web connectivity. Our research will help guide effective decision-making by providing information on the connections that are vital for productive, healthy ecosystems.
Contact: Steve Wing, University of Otago
We are incorporating cumulative effects of multiple stressors (from human activities on land and sea) into decision-making tools.
Contact: Carolyn Lundquist, NIWA
We are developing new methods to map ecological response footprints of stressors and their impacts on ecosystem services. We are also developing ecological footprint analysis to support improved decision-making, investment, and knowledge of how activities and stressors impact on biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Contact: Simon Thrush (University of Auckland) & Kura Paul-Burke (MUSA Environmental/University of Waikato)
We are working with iwi, stakeholders, investors, managers and policy makers to co-develop, and scenario test, decision-making tools that are informed by mātauranga Māori and EBM frameworks. We are considering the cumulative effects of both marine and land-based activities – with a focus on sediment, nutrients, bottom disturbance and climate change, as these have been identified as the main stressors affecting New Zealand's marine environments.
Contact: Joanne Ellis & Fabrice Stephenson (University of Waikato)
To support development of decision-making practices that explicitly identify scale and scale-dependencies to increase the success of EBM decision-making processes we are:
Contact: Joanne Ellis (University of Waikato)
We are investigating how to build restorative economies in Aotearoa New Zealand’s coastal and marine spaces. This project will develop knowledge, frameworks and decision-support tools to enable restorative marine economies to emerge. In addition to developing investment propositions, we will develop proof-of-concepts using place-based research, and build the relationships and roadmaps required for the future of the sector.
Contact: Drew Lohrer (NIWA) & Nigel Bradly (EnviroStrat)
This tool provides a daily forecast (like a weather map) of river plumes entering the sea and contaminant measurements that accurately estimate E. coli bacterial contamination risk in Tasman and Golden Bay waters. Aquaculture farmers can use the tool to help manage shellfish harvest and minimise the number of days unnecessarily closed to harvest.
How much development is required?
Currently only applicable to Tasman Bay and Golden Bay. Costs to maintain this is estimated between $5,000 to $7,000 per month (depending on the extra features). Sampling costs are not included. With some further validation and testing this model could replace existing harvest rules.
Contact: Ben Knight, Cawthron
This project is investigating and reducing interactions between commercial fishing gear and the seafloor in the Hawke’s Bay. Understanding how, when, and where trawl gear contacts the seafloor is key to evidence-based decision making. We intend to demonstrate how collecting data on current gear use can better inform modifications and improvements to reduce contact where appropriate.
Contact: Oliver Wilson (Fisheries Inshore New Zealand)
We are investigating the tikanga of Iwi Collective Partnership (ICP) Iwi Partners as it relates to commercial fishing practice, as an example of fisheries leadership in Aotearoa New Zealand. This research contributes to the indigenisation of the blue economy by incorporating the use of mātauranga Māori inspired innovation to support blue economy activities and uses Māori leadership in the fishing industry by accessing their knowledge and practices.
Contact: Maru Samuels (Iwi Collective Partnership) & Irene Kereama-Royal (Ngā Wai A Te Tūī Māori & Indigenous Research Centre)
Ecosystem services (ES) are the goods and services that nature provides, which people benefit from. A single ecological process can underpin multiple services, eg shellfish filter feeding improves water quality, supports the food web and leads to kaimoana.
This 2-page guidance document explains how ES interact with each other and are affected by stressors – and which values might be affected for better or worse following a management decision. It uses the ecosystem services provided by shellfish as a case study.
Contact: Drew Lohrer, NIWA
This guidance describes how large numbers of different data sets can be effectively pooled to group marine species into ‘community assemblages’. These assemblages can be used to identify biodiversity hotspots and explore ‘gifts and gains’ (trade-offs) resulting from management decisions.
Advantages of this approach:
Easier than individually assessing 100s of species
More holistic as these species interact and affect one another
Contact: Fabrice Stephenson, NIWA
These maps show where biogenic refuge habitats, which act as nurseries for young fish and invertebrates, are predicted to be found. Maps are available for the Hauraki Gulf, Queen Charlotte Sound and Tasman Bay, Golden Bay and Marlborough Sounds. The methodology underpinning these maps can be used to estimate the location of ecosystem services at low cost and with modest data requirements. A thesis and an academic publication(s) on mapping the ecosystem services of shellfish in estuaries has been submitted.
In this webinar, Drew Lohrer presents research that used a rules-based approach to predict and map refuge habitat in the Hauraki Gulf and Marlborough Sounds, and then validated this technique by surveying the seafloor at a range of sites around Great Barrier Island.
Contact: Drew Lohrer, NIWA
This report reviews a range of best practice analytical tools and processes that can be used to support risk assessment across a spectrum of problems of differing complexity and uncertainty.
It includes:
Contact: Graeme Inglis, NIWA
This guidance describes how Bayesian network models can combine data with expert knowledge (ecological, physical or mātauranga Māori), to bridge the data gaps and support decision making. It includes a proof-of-concept example, where we developed a digital tool to compare outcomes on seabed health and scallop abundance from different management scenarios. The management objectives – fisheries, sediment and nutrient inputs, and restoration of seabed habitat – were identified with iwi and local stakeholders.
This digital tool enables users to compare outcomes on seabed health and scallop abundance from different management scenarios for fisheries, sediment and nutrient inputs, and restoration of seabed habitat. Please note that this tool is not currently active as it requires a software license. The model that sits behind this tool can be adapted for other environmental management scenarios to support decision-making.
This presentation describes how the tool was developed using expert knowledge, and how application of the Bayesian network model with a structured decision-making framework enables stakeholders and managers to make informed management decisions.
This pilot research explored whether systems mapping could be useful for EBM, focused on the issue of scallop decline in Tasman and Golden Bays. Section 5 of the report provides a summary, and outlines recommendations for potential applications of this process.
We investigated how well EBM aligns with Aotearoa New Zealand’s legislation, policy and governance relating to the marine environment. Research outputs relevant to the fisheries sector include:
Advancing EBM in Aotearoa New Zealand through current governance arrangements – This discussion paper looked at EBM under current legislation, including the RMA and Fisheries Act 1996 (refer to pages 16–20).
How current legislation enables the contemporary practice of rāhui – In this discussion paper, rāhui as an example of customary management provides a useful lens to review and analyse how current policy and legislation enables kaitiakitanga and EBM in Aotearoa New Zealand.
NZ law and the principles of EBM – In this webinar, Raewyn Peart and Alison Greenaway summarise the legal framework that applies to the management of Aotearoa New Zealand’s marine environment, and explain the extent to which the 7 principles of EBM are already incorporated into law.
Contact: Alison Greenaway, Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research
Systems mapping is a visual tool that builds a picture of interconnected factors contributing to, and impacted by, a certain issue(s) of interest. It specifically focuses on the circular nature of these relationships and how they ‘feedback’ on themselves and each other. It can be used to explore how any action taken will impact other parts of the system over time.
We have used systems mapping to assess:
Conceptual system maps of ‘blue economy’ activities – This describes the interconnections, influences, risks and tensions in a conceptual wild fishery system. (Refer to pages 15–23 and 42–46.) The systems maps are used to explore a scenario where fishing companies make a voluntary commitment to greener performance by limiting their catch and improving their fishing methods. (Refer to page 71.)
Systems mapping marine stressors in Hawke's Bay – This describes the interlinked influences on the local ecosystem (including the social impacts) of 2 main environmental stressors, freshwater sediments and disturbance of the seabed, to inform management action.
Contact: Carolyn Lundquist, NIWA/University of Auckland
We have developed a visualisation of cetacean diversity hotspots that incorporate varying levels of uncertainty. The visualisation identifies the best locations for protection and can help to incorporate uncertainty for marine spatial planning and/or decision-makers for consent applications.
The underpinning method is applicable to other species or taxa and can be used as a framework for incorporating uncertainty when dealing with multiple species. The visualisations can be used in a participatory process to inform better decision-making.
Contact: Fabrice Stephenson, NIWA
We used two modelling approaches to help predict how best to manage ocean spaces in Aotearoa New Zealand. The models consider multiple resource uses, needs, Māori and stakeholder values, and the implications these have for biodiversity and ecosystem health.
We developed these tools with involvement from managers in central and local government, Māori, and community and stakeholder organisations to ensure they are ‘fit for purpose’ and applicable within existing management systems.
Contact: Carolyn Lundquist, NIWA
In this peer-reviewed publication (paywall), researchers argue that the successful implementation of ecosystem-based fisheries management in Aotearoa New Zealand’s marine estate is dependent on the establishment of a new Māori-Crown governance arrangement.
Contact: John Reid or Matthew Rout, University of Canterbury
In collaboration with Fisheries New Zealand, MPI and DOC, we are developing a monitoring and indicator framework for the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park.
Contact: Darren Parsons (NIWA) & Alexandra Schwaab (Fisheries New Zealand)
We are developing a research base for government, Māori (organisations, iwi, hapū and whānau) and stakeholders to navigate the legislative, policy and practice constraints surrounding EBM and any changes required to enable it. This research project will produce a transition plan towards EBM and recommend governance arrangements appropriate to local, regional and national scales. The underlying research will focus on changes presently occurring in regulatory and practice frameworks, and a systems mapping exercise of multispecies management complexes (centered on a trawl fishery) conducted with Fisheries New Zealand.
Contact: Elizabeth Macpherson (University of Canterbury) & Eric Jorgensen (P Jorgensen & Sons Ltd)
We are investigating people's perceptions of risk and uncertainty in the marine environment and how these different experiences can improve decision-making about marine resources. This research is taking a grounded (case study) approach with mātauranga Māori at its centre. This approach recognises that perceptions of risk are underpinned by many different ways of understanding and interpreting that risk. By comparing the different ways people perceive risk and uncertainty, we will be able to inform more inclusive tools, policies, practices and processes that can improve decision-making.
Contact: Paula Blackett (NIWA) & Shaun Awatere (Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research)
We are working with iwi, stakeholders, investors, managers and policy makers to co-develop, and scenario test, decision-making tools that are informed by mātauranga Māori and EBM frameworks. We are considering the cumulative effects of both marine and land-based activities – with a focus on sediment, nutrients, bottom disturbance and climate change, as these have been identified as the main stressors affecting New Zealand's marine environments.
Contact: Joanne Ellis & Fabrice Stephenson (University of Waikato)
To support development of decision-making practices that explicitly identify scale and scale-dependencies to increase the success of EBM decision-making processes we are:
Contact: Joanne Ellis (University of Waikato)
This project is exploring how science and mātauranga Māori – the knowledge systems informing ecosystem-based management (EBM) and Kaitiakitanga – can better inform the governance and management of the marine and coastal environments of Aotearoa.
Contact: Lara Taylor (Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research) & Dan Hikuroa (University of Auckland)
In collaboration with Fisheries New Zealand, MPI and DOC, we are developing a monitoring and indicator framework for the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park.
Contact: Darren Parsons (NIWA) & Alexandra Schwaab (Fisheries New Zealand)
In this webinar, Nick Lewis discusses our definition of a ‘blue economy’, a term which is being increasingly used around the world. This webinar bridges the blue economy research we did in Phase I (2014–2019), with what we are working on for blue economy now.
This report is a stocktake of national and international blue economy developments, status and trajectories. It also documents views of more than 40 iwi and stakeholders on sector-level threats, opportunities, and change. With regards to the fisheries sector, the report identified:
Research opportunities specific to the fisheries sector were also identified:
Contact: Nigel Bradly, EnviroStrat
Māori businesses are on track to be the largest commercial interest in Aotearoa New Zealand fisheries. This report mapped the Māori marine economy and the level of activity, from those engaged in Annual Catch Entitlement trading and the development of joint ventures with third parties to fish quota, through to those actively fishing, processing, exporting, marine farming, and engaging in marine-based tourism.
As part of this research, people involved in Māori customary and commercial fishing were surveyed on their application of mātauranga Māori in fisheries.
In this public talk at the New Zealand Maritime Museum (June 2019), Jason Mika discusses some of the history behind Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Settlements and mapping the Māori marine economy.
Contact: Jason Mika, Massey University
This report explores 7 case study areas to examine aspects of their operations that have a resonance with kaitiaki-centred business models. The case studies are:
These case studies suggest that where Māori have more control, they manage things better. This in turn suggests that the Māori marine economy would benefit if kaitiaki-centred business models were recognised and formalised to allow fishers to control the quota allocation process and set their own boundaries.
Contact: John Reid, University of Canterbury or Jason Mika, Massey University
Extending earlier research by the Whai Rawa, Whai Mana, Whai Oranga project which mapped the Māori marine economy, this project will address key barriers that currently prevent Māori from using their marine resources in a more culturally relevant, economically impactful, and environmentally sustainable manner.
Contact: Jason Mika (Massey University) & John Reid (J D Reid Ltd)
Global seaweed production has more than doubled in the last 20 years, significantly exceeding natural supply. Seaweed aquaculture now accounts for more than 30% of global aquaculture production volume. We are co-developing a seaweed sector framework for Aotearoa New Zealand, incorporating EBM principles. We will test the framework using seaweed case studies to understand how it can effectively operate across different scales (local, regional, national; small to large businesses).
Contact: Serean Adams (Cawthron)
Using mātauranga Māori and western science, we are working with iwi and three aquaculture business partners to develop an effective, biodegradable alternative to plastic spat-catching rope made from native plant fibres. Developing a commercial-scale, natural spat-catching product built on ma-tauranga Māori will help reduce plastic pollution from aquaculture activities, lead to the emergence of a new local industry based on native plants, and improve the sustainability of the green-lipped mussel industry.
Contact: Andrew Jeffs (University of Auckland) & Nicola MacDonald (Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust)
This project aims to identify the bioactive potential of pātangaroa, including unique collagens and marine bioactives, and estimate their economic potential. The ultimate goal is to co-create a sustainable economic opportunity that could fund the management of the pātangaroa, and aid an ecosystem-based management model for the harbour and surrounding coastline that aligns with local Māori values.
Contact: Matt Miller (Cawthron), Kura Paul-Burke (University of Waikato) & Mathew Cumming (Plant and Food Research)
We are investigating the potential of Aotearoa New Zealand’s native and endemic seaweed and algal species for use in environmentally friendly and innovative suncare products. We are drawing on mātauranga Māori and western science to identify which species are best to develop for sunscreen protection.
Contact: Mike Packer (Cawthron Institute)
The term ‘social licence to operate’ suggests that communities have power to grant or withhold approval of commercial operations in the marine environment. However, the language that the aquaculture industry uses when talking about social licence can empower or disempower communities.
This poster summarises the types of verbs that should be considered when discussing social licence to empower communities and build the genuine relationships required for social licence.
We reviewed literature, personal diaries, Waitangi Tribunal papers, reports, frameworks and legislation that relate to Māori perspectives of the marine environment. We also collated and examined historical examples of marine kaitiakitanga that highlight the depth of mātauranga and the expression of Māori connection to the marine environment.
The findings improve our understanding of the mātauranga of the marine environment as expressed through features of Māori oral tradition. This information provides valuable insights into the past whilst offering understandings of mātauranga which can be used now and in the future for kaitiakitanga and improved management of our marine environment.
Contact: Anne-Marie Jackson, University of Otago
From interviews of marine-based businesses, Māori representatives and stakeholders, we have found that the nature of social licence depends on a business’s size and ownership. The level of social licence held by a business can change as it expands its markets or as new people join the local community who don’t have an existing relationship with the business. Larger companies often engage with interest groups and organisations rather than individuals or local communities. Māori generally prefer to use social licence concepts based on Māori values and tikanga.
We have also studied how and by whom the term ‘social licence’ is being used in New Zealand. Changes in wording by business groups could send a more empowering message to iwi and community groups about seeking their acceptance and trust.
Contact: Jim Sinner, Cawthron Institute
A long process of engagement between the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and the community has resulted in the partial re-diversion of the Kaituna River into the Maketū estuary. The aim was to restore estuarine habitats by reducing sedimentation, re-establishing wetland and salt marsh environments, and replenishing shellfish and other fish stocks. Our research examined interactions between the council and the community that led to this outcome.
We found that while marine science was important in developing the restoration strategy, the planning process was ultimately a social and political activity. These insights suggest scientists and engineers engaged in planning processes will be more effective acting as informed facilitators than subject experts.
We are working with project partners Te Roroa and Bluetide Aquaculture to develop sustainable, community-based toheroa aquaculture in Te Taitokerau/Northland. While growing wild-harvested spat on farms has been successful for the green-lipped mussel industry, we are investigating if this approach will work for toheroa. We are also developing capacity and capability (including educational opportunities for upcoming generations) to support tangata whenua and community leadership and participation in aquaculture.
Contact: Phil Ross (University of Waikato) & Taoho Patuawa (Te Roroa)
Indigenous cultures have been practicing aquaculture throughout the Pacific for hundreds of years. Pre-colonisation, Māori aquatic cultivation economies existed in Aotearoa New Zealand and were anchored in practices like pā-ika and pā-auroa (eel-weirs).
We are exploring traditional aquatic cultivation practices (TACP) and knowledge held by our hapū partners from Whanganui and South Taranaki, and our indigenous relatives in Hawai’i and Canada, to grow our understanding of what hapū based aquaculture could look like.
The reconnection of hapū to mātauranga (Māori epistemology) tikanga (managerial customs), kawa (customary lore) and TACP, will enable hapū to reclaim and re-establish local economies based on TACP. Not only does this support a blue economy in Aotearoa New Zealand, it will also be a catalyst for Māori development and support kaupapa Māori approaches to aquaculture.
Contact: Te Rerekohu Tuterangiwhiu (Cawthron Institute)
We are co-developing a ‘disruptive’ (ie different to the status quo) community-led business model that will allow small, whānau-owned aquaculture farms with fewer resources to thrive in the aquaculture industry. Pātiki tōtara/yellowbelly flounder is a strong candidate species for this new approach to aquaculture. This mahi is grounded in kaupapa Māori to reflect value across three key dimensions – hauora, oranga (social), kaitiaki (environmental/ecological) and mana motuhake (economic). We are:
Growing community wellbeing with pātiki tōtara/yellowbelly flounder
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Creating guidelines, models and tools that explicitly identify risk and uncertainty, to help make decision-making more inclusive and multi-s…
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Developing a monitoring and indicator framework for the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park
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This project brings together mātauranga Māori and science to develop new knowledge about cumulative effects
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Exploring how Kaitiakitanga and EBM can operate alongside one another within coastal and marine environments.
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Addressing key barriers that currently prevent Māori from using their marine resources in a more culturally relevant, economically impactful…
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Investigating the tikanga of ICP Iwi Partners as it relates to commercial fishing practice
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Determining the benefits of small-scale, community-based marine restoration initiatives
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Investigating the economic potential of collagen and bioactives from 11-armed sea-stars to manage overpopulations
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We are investigating people's perceptions of risk and uncertainty in the marine environment and how these different experiences can improve …
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We are developing a research base for policy makers, Māori and stakeholders to navigate the legislative, policy and practice constraints sur…
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Investigating and reducing interactions between commercial fishing gear and the seafloor
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Investigating the potential of algal bioactives to prevent and improve the outcomes of sunburn
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We are incorporating cumulative effects of multiple stressors (from human activities on land and sea) into decision-making tools.
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Developing sustainable, community-based aquaculture in Te Taitokerau
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Exploring traditional aquaculture practices to inform a hapū-based blue economy
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