Biggest changes to Fisheries Act in nearly 40 years unveiled
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Scoop
3 days ago
- Scoop
Could Northland's Marsden Point be NZ's first ‘Special Economic Zone'?
Article – RNZ Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters have visited Northland to inspect a jet fuel storage project on the site of the old oil refinery. , Northland reporter A 'Special Economic Zone' at Northland's Marsden Point could supercharge the region's – if not the country's – economy, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Jones and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters visited Marsden Point on Tuesday to inspect a jet fuel storage project, while also promoting their vision for encouraging investment around Northland's main port. Peters said the area could 'easily' become New Zealand's first Special Economic Zone. It had New Zealand's best deep-water port, was closest to international shipping lanes, and had plenty of land to build on. 'These zones go a step beyond fast-track legislation. The zones will also have tax regimes that appeal to investors, local and international alike.' Jones said Special Economic Zones already operated in Ireland, Singapore and Croatia. He said increased depreciation, tax 'holidays' in which companies initially paid no tax, and attractive regulatory regimes could be used to attract large-scale investment in specific areas. Jones admitted the plan was 'unorthodox' and would not say if it was supported by the party's coalition partners – but he believed bold moves were needed because current efforts to grow the economy were not working. 'The Ruth Richardson bare austerity approach … it's not delivering the economic growth we need. Unless we have these kinds of bespoke initiatives, with tax incentives and self-consenting powers, I fear we're just going to be stuck in a rut talking about the same things year after year … and that's not good enough.' He said the party wanted to table Special Economic Zone legislation in the coming year, or take the policy to the next election. Jones was typically provocative when describing how consenting in a Special Economic Zone might work. 'When the zone is created any conditions of an environmental resource management character should be written into the zone. And then, my view is, you just have a couple of engineers in a tin shed somewhere, they can quickly consent things. This business of constipating and protracting all these resource consent processes is making the country broke.' The Marsden Point zone, if created, could incorporate the former oil refinery site, the proposed Northport extension, and a planned dry dock facility for servicing large vessels such as Navy ships and Cook Strait ferries. A rail link between the port and Northland's existing railway line was also vital for the development of Marsden Point, Jones said. Meanwhile, the aviation fuel tank the ministers came to inspect was being constructed by Channel Infrastructure on the former Marsden Point oil refinery site. Jones said it would boost New Zealand's resilience at a time of increasing geopolitical instability. Channel chief executive Rob Buchanan said the 30-million-litre tank had previously been used for crude oil and was being adapted for jet fuel at cost of up to $30m, in partnership with Z Energy. It would hold enough fuel for 10,000 flights between Auckland and Wellington. Once complete it would increase total storage of jet fuel, petrol and diesel at Marsden Point to about 300 million litres. Buchanan said it was not the only project bringing life back to the site where oil refining ended in 2022. 'One of the projects we're working on very actively at the moment is repurposing the old refinery into a biorefinery, which could produce diesel and jet fuel. That's with some international partners because it would be a very significant amount of capital investment. It'd be really exciting to bring back manufacturing capacity,' he said. Buchanan would not say what would be used as the raw material, citing business confidentiality. A decision as to whether the biorefinery would go ahead was expected next year. Both Jones and Peters expressed disappointment at the oil refinery's closure, but with the cost of reopening it estimated at $5-7 billion, Jones accepted that was not going to happen. 'We're over that chapter and we have to support new industry and new investment,' he said. Peters said the Marsden Point rail project, which was part of the coalition agreement, was continuing to make progress. Almost all the land required had been bought and KiwiRail had completed the design work. The 19 kilometre rail spur between Oakleigh, south of Whangārei, and Northport had initially been estimated to cost $1 billion. Peters said he would not accept such a high cost. In the coming weeks KiwiRail would share its designs, on a confidential basis, with other potential builders, he said. 'We're going to get value for money. And if we don't get it from New Zealanders we'll get it from international competition. That's why I can guarantee you we're not talking about a billion dollars or anything like it.' Construction had originally been due to begin in late 2026 or early 2027 but Jones said that had been delayed. The other major project planned for Marsden Point was a dry dock expected to cost $400-500m. Jones said it would be a public-private partnership part-funded by the Regional Infrastructure Fund. Shortlisted companies had until May to submit Requests for Proposal. Jones said the government was 'getting closer' to choosing a successful bidder.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Scoop
Could Northland's Marsden Point be NZ's first 'Special Economic Zone'?
A 'Special Economic Zone' at Northland's Marsden Point could supercharge the region's - if not the country's - economy, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Jones and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters visited Marsden Point on Tuesday to inspect a jet fuel storage project, while also promoting their vision for encouraging investment around Northland's main port. Peters said the area could "easily" become New Zealand's first Special Economic Zone. It had New Zealand's best deep-water port, was closest to international shipping lanes, and had plenty of land to build on. "These zones go a step beyond fast-track legislation. The zones will also have tax regimes that appeal to investors, local and international alike." Jones said Special Economic Zones already operated in Ireland, Singapore and Croatia. He said increased depreciation, tax "holidays" in which companies initially paid no tax, and attractive regulatory regimes could be used to attract large-scale investment in specific areas. Jones admitted the plan was "unorthodox" and would not say if it was supported by the party's coalition partners - but he believed bold moves were needed because current efforts to grow the economy were not working. "The Ruth Richardson bare austerity approach … it's not delivering the economic growth we need. Unless we have these kinds of bespoke initiatives, with tax incentives and self-consenting powers, I fear we're just going to be stuck in a rut talking about the same things year after year … and that's not good enough." He said the party wanted to table Special Economic Zone legislation in the coming year, or take the policy to the next election. Jones was typically provocative when describing how consenting in a Special Economic Zone might work. "When the zone is created any conditions of an environmental resource management character should be written into the zone. And then, my view is, you just have a couple of engineers in a tin shed somewhere, they can quickly consent things. This business of constipating and protracting all these resource consent processes is making the country broke." The Marsden Point zone, if created, could incorporate the former oil refinery site, the proposed Northport extension, and a planned dry dock facility for servicing large vessels such as Navy ships and Cook Strait ferries. A rail link between the port and Northland's existing railway line was also vital for the development of Marsden Point, Jones said. Meanwhile, the aviation fuel tank the ministers came to inspect was being constructed by Channel Infrastructure on the former Marsden Point oil refinery site. Jones said it would boost New Zealand's resilience at a time of increasing geopolitical instability. Channel chief executive Rob Buchanan said the 30-million-litre tank had previously been used for crude oil and was being adapted for jet fuel at cost of up to $30m, in partnership with Z Energy. It would hold enough fuel for 10,000 flights between Auckland and Wellington. Once complete it would increase total storage of jet fuel, petrol and diesel at Marsden Point to about 300 million litres. Buchanan said it was not the only project bringing life back to the site where oil refining ended in 2022. "One of the projects we're working on very actively at the moment is repurposing the old refinery into a biorefinery, which could produce diesel and jet fuel. That's with some international partners because it would be a very significant amount of capital investment. It'd be really exciting to bring back manufacturing capacity," he said. Buchanan would not say what would be used as the raw material, citing business confidentiality. A decision as to whether the biorefinery would go ahead was expected next year. Both Jones and Peters expressed disappointment at the oil refinery's closure, but with the cost of reopening it estimated at $5-7 billion, Jones accepted that was not going to happen. "We're over that chapter and we have to support new industry and new investment," he said. Peters said the Marsden Point rail project, which was part of the coalition agreement, was continuing to make progress. Almost all the land required had been bought and KiwiRail had completed the design work. The 19 kilometre rail spur between Oakleigh, south of Whangārei, and Northport had initially been estimated to cost $1 billion. Peters said he would not accept such a high cost. In the coming weeks KiwiRail would share its designs, on a confidential basis, with other potential builders, he said. "We're going to get value for money. And if we don't get it from New Zealanders we'll get it from international competition. That's why I can guarantee you we're not talking about a billion dollars or anything like it." Construction had originally been due to begin in late 2026 or early 2027 but Jones said that had been delayed. The other major project planned for Marsden Point was a dry dock expected to cost $400-500m. Jones said it would be a public-private partnership part-funded by the Regional Infrastructure Fund. Shortlisted companies had until May to submit Requests for Proposal. Jones said the government was "getting closer" to choosing a successful bidder.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- RNZ News
Fish farming sector's biggest opportunity, Oceans and Fisheries Minister says
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones at the 2025 Seafood NZ conference in Nelson. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee The Oceans and Fisheries Minister says he does want to see more fish caught if they can be sustainably harvested and that the biggest opportunity for growth in the sector is in farming more fish, including freshwater species. Shane Jones on Thursday announced the most significant Fisheries Act reforms in decades , which include allowing for greater catch limits when fish stocks are abundant and preventing on-board camera footage being made public. The seafood industry has welcomed the proposed overhaul of the rules, saying they will allow for sustainable growth in the sector, despite concerns the changes will further threaten already-fragile marine environments. "This is a once in a lifetime shot to change the rules and regulations in this particular industry and to ensure that it is fit for purpose given the range of challenges our economy is facing, but in particular have been a long time coming," Jones said at the annual Seafood NZ conference in Nelson. Jones told attendees they should "get involved in shepherding these reform options through" if they wanted better certainty, investment and job security. "Please do not buy into this fountain of mistruth that what I am doing on behalf of our government represents a mortal threat to every other critter in the ocean." He said the fishing industry was "not the sole reason why the hoiho penguin has got problems". Jones said he supported the industry working smarter and taking more responsibility, with quota owners delivering more, but he did not support the "dystopian view that somehow I've handed over state control". The nation was facing grave economic challenges and change in the sector was long overdue, he said. Annual seafood industry exports, across wild capture and aquaculture, are currently worth around $2.2 billion, with the government wanting that to grow that to $3b in annual revenue by 2035. "I want to say to my opponents, we are facing inordinately high levels of unemployment, our export percentage GDP-wise has declined, the need for new ways of extracting value out of our natural resources sector has actually increased in importance, not decreased," Jones said. That meant catching more fish - if it could be sustainably harvested - and exploring options for farming more fish, including freshwater species like trout and grass carp, which required further regulatory changes. Shane Jones says he wants to see more fish caught if they can be sustainably harvested Photo: 123RF Seafood NZ chief executive Lisa Futschek said the industry group supported the proposed reforms, which would bolster seafood exports in a sustainable way. "We are able to make more responsive management decisions around the 642 stocks that sit within the quota management system, now that might mean in cases where the science shows us that there is abundance, that we increase the catch limit, but in other cases it might mean where that stock is under pressure, we decrease it." Sealord chief executive Doug Paulin said the changes would allow for better fisheries management and offer more flexibility. With hundreds of different fish stocks and only a small number reviewed each year, he said catch limits were either set too low, or too high and often didn't align with what skippers were seeing in real time. "They'll be the first ones to say, we aren't finding the level of abundance that we expected to find, therefore we want the limit to be dropped, this has happened a number of times at Sealord where our skippers have actually said, we believe this fishery actually needs to have a cut, but unfortunately the ministry aren't due to look at it for another three or four years and lo and behold, we [later] find out that actually the abundance of that species is well below where it was purported to be, whereas under these rules, we could have actually dropped the catch limit much earlier. He did not think the proposed changes would increase overfishing. "The only way we have a fishing industry is to look after the fish stocks and the environment that we fish in, so it makes no sense to catch so many fish that you're not going to have a business in three, four, five years so we'll be the first ones to say we believe we should take a cut and we should take it now in order to have abundance in the future." Doug Paulin says the changes would allow for better fisheries management. Photo: Supplied / Sealord Labour's oceans and fisheries spokesperson Rachel Boyack said sustainable growth in the seafood sector was crucial, but the proposed carry forward of quota from year to year was concerning. "If quota is underused for two or three years and then gets added up and can be used for one large season, that could have the potential to decimate that particular fishery stock and I think we need to be really cautious about making such a change. "It is true that we don't have good enough data to be able to make those kinds of decisions and I think that is where the efforts should be." Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust chief executive Nicola Rata-MacDonald said it was disappointing to see commercial interests being put ahead of sustainability and conservation principles. "We know that regeneration is key to a thriving fisheries sector - that's why we've welcomed previous moves by the government to close tipa (scallop) fisheries, remove kina barrens, and reduce take limits on other fish species to allow stocks to replenish." Rata-MacDonald said allowing for intensified fishing in the future, alongside changes to landing and discard rules, just made overfishing easier. "Commercial fishers failing to catch their annual entitlement isn't caused by some adverse event or special individual circumstances, it's caused by the depletion of already-vulnerable fish stocks." Greenpeace oceans campaigner Ellie Hooper said the reforms would weaken transparency in the fishing sector, which she said was already data deficient. "This year the orange roughy stock on the Chatham Rise has collapsed, the commercial fishing industry have fished it down to 8 percent, it looks like, of the original population, they are meant to manage that resource sustainably, but they haven't." LegaSea chief executive Sam Woolford said the proposed changes showed the government was ignoring the interests of everyday New Zealanders. "The reality of fishing, both recreational, non-commercial, customary is that we need a healthy, abundant, vibrant, ecosystem, we need fish in the water and these changes, yes they are going to expedite processes and remove regulations but at the cost of the environment." An amendment bill will be introduced to Parliament later this year, and people will be able to give feedback on the proposed reforms during the select committee process. 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