EDS Report Highlights Urgent Need To Get On With MPA Reform

Sunday, 4 May 2025, 1:33 pm
Press Release: EDS

The Environmental Defence Society today released a working paper on marine protected areas (MPA) setting out how progress can be made to better protect the country’s rich marine biodiversity and help secure broader oceanic health. The report, titled Protecting the Sea: Rethinking Marine Protected Areas, is co-authored by Raewyn Peart and Deidre-Koolen-Bourke.

“New Zealand is far behind international best practice for MPA legislation and practice and is far from meeting its international biodiversity obligations,” said EDS Policy Director Raewyn Peart.

“At the same time, the degradation of our marine environments is escalating. The current MPA system has long not been fit-for purpose and there is strong consensus around the need for change.

“The working paper draws on an extensive literature review, MPA debates in Parliament, submissions made on various MPA initiatives, and interviews with a range of interested parties. In total, we spoke to 28 people from the commercial fishing, recreational fishing, environmental NGO, iwi, science, law and government sectors.

“This included several former Ministers of Conservation who sought to progress MPA legislative reform. There have been three attempts to reform the now very dated Marine Reserves Act 1971, none which reached fruition.

“This research enabled us to identify a number of contentious issues that have hindered MPA reform in the past, as well as topics on which there is broad consensus and can be built on.

“Our research made it clear that, overall, the greatest progress on MPAs has been made through collaborative processes. New Zealand has very rich experience in this area to build on.

“We have recommended developing a new Marine Protected Areas Act which:

• Provides a clear overall purpose for marine protection
• Ensures MPAs are well designed
• Provides a range of spatial protection tools
• Uses collaborative processes to design MPA networks
• Addresses impacts on fisheries
• Addresses Treaty rights and interests
• Builds in flexibility
• Ensures effective and active MPA management
• Ensures adequate resourcing.

“The new legislation should also provide for the development of an updated MPA Policy and a focused MPA Action Plan setting out priorities for spatial marine protection around the country.

“We note that National Party policy for the 2023 general election included a commitment to update the Marine Reserves Act. We want to see progress on meeting this commitment in the current term of government.

“We will be discussing these issues further at EDS’s Oceans Symposium in Auckland on 12 May.

“There is no time to waste if we are to retain our unique indigenous marine biodiversity and rebuild healthy marine systems.

“Therefore, while progressing MPA legislative reform we need to simply get on with the job. For this reason, we have also recommended establishing further collaborative marine planning processes without delay,” concluded Ms Peart.

Read Protecting the Sea Report

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Environmental Defence Society

EDS speaks for the environment. It has influence.

Since 1971, EDS has been driving environmental protection in Aotearoa New Zealand through law and policy change. That's why it's one of this country's most influential non- profit organisations when it comes to achieving better environmental outcomes.

EDS has expertise in key disciplines including law, planning, landscape and science. It operates as a policy think-tank, a litigation advocate, and a collaborator – bringing together the private and public sectors for constructive engagement.

EDS runs conferences and seminars on topical issues, including an annual Environmental Summit and the Climate Change and Business Conference.

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