The Grim Reality of Fish Getting In On Cancel Culture - the hopeful alternative
Kaimoana and Kaitiakitanga - A Fisheries Future Built on Wisdom, Not War
In a rare turn of events where evidence and ethics triumphed over ego, the New Zealand Government this week confirmed that reforms to the Fisheries Act will strengthen marine protections, not strip them.
Fisheries Minister Shane Jones, long known for his colourful metaphors and industrial allegiances, surprised both critics and colleagues when he opened the Primary Production Select Committee session by quoting a whakataukī:
“Toitū te marae o Tangaroa, toitū te marae o Tane, toitū te tangata. If the domain of Tangaroa is healthy, and the domain of Tane is healthy, so too will the people be.”
Rather than scoffing at scientists or dismissing environmental impact reports, Jones acknowledged past tensions and signalled a decisive shift.
“I’ve spent a lifetime near the sea, I know its bounty and its limits. I’ve come to understand that if we do not listen to those who study it and those who whakapapa to it, we’ll have nothing left to hand on.”
The updated legislation now mandates annual catch limit reviews informed by real-time data and iwi consultation. The contentious issue of ring netting in the Hauraki Gulf? Struck out completely. A new rāhui has been put in place across those areas, with community monitoring support funded via the reform package.
Even more striking, Jones committed to keeping cameras on boats, not as an imposition, but as “a guardian’s eye, keeping all of us accountable to the sea and each other.”
Industry was initially wary, but has since come on board. Sanford Fisheries CEO Adele Tawhiri told Newsroom, “We feared bureaucracy. What we got was partnership. Transparency builds trust, with the public and the sea.”
One of the largest reforms includes co-governance with regional iwi over key marine areas. Ngāti Manuhiri spokesperson Mere Hohua said:
“We’ve fought to be heard. Now we are being invited to lead. This is kaitiakitanga made real.”
Funding will also go toward replenishing kelp forests and expanding educational outreach for rangatahi on ocean health, marine careers, and customary fishing rights. The Government will establish a new Ocean Futures Unit, staffed by marine biologists, hapū advisors, and fisheries economists, with a mandate to ensure that decisions are based on ecology and equity.
The public response has been overwhelmingly positive. Marine ecologist Linda Westerman, whose tearful letter once went viral, said:
“This is the first time in years I feel like I’m not shouting into the tide.”
It turns out when a country stops treating marine policy as a battleground for culture wars, it can become a platform for restoration, respect, and intergenerational leadership.
The fish are still biting. But now, so are the values that might just save them.
📣 COUNTERFACTUAL GOVERNMENT PRESS RELEASE:
Ministry for Oceans, Fisheries & Future Generations
PRESS RELEASE — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"Kaitiaki First" Reform to Centre Sustainability, Science, and Shared Stewardship
Today the Government passed the landmark Kaitiaki First Fisheries Reform Act, an ambitious and necessary framework for restoring Aotearoa’s marine ecosystems and ensuring the viability of our fisheries for future generations.
Minister Shane Jones noted:
“There’s no industry, no kai, and no future without a healthy moana. This is about accountability, co-governance, and courage.”
Key outcomes include:
Annual adaptive catch limits based on real-time data
Restoration of rāhui zones in the Hauraki Gulf and wider Tai Tokerau
Mandatory cameras on commercial vessels
Joint governance panels with iwi and hapū
Regeneration funding for kelp forests and reef systems
This reform represents a cross-sector agreement that science, mātauranga Māori, and integrity must drive all decisions relating to our shared oceans.
📪 LETTER TO THE EDITOR – Organisation:
From: Ngāti Pēhea Marine Trust, Te Tai Tokerau
To the Editor,
For the first time in many years, our Trust feels hopeful. The new fisheries legislation puts our values and our mātauranga at the heart of marine governance.
Rather than fighting each other in court, we now sit together at the table. Decisions are slower, but wiser. Our young people are involved, our elders are respected and the moana is starting to breathe again.
This is what partnership looks like. This is what healing looks like.
Ngā mihi nunui,
Moana Rākete
Chair, Ngāti Pēhea Marine Trust
📬 LETTER TO THE EDITOR – Individual:
From: Linda Westerman, Marine Biologist, Whakatāne
Dear Editor,
I’ve just returned from a community wānanga on reef monitoring, run jointly by DOC, local hapū, and a group of commercial fishers who now welcome cameras on their boats.
For years, I feared the ocean would collapse before policy caught up. Now, I feel we’ve finally turned the tide.
Thank you to those who fought. Thank you to the Minister for changing course. And thank you to every New Zealander who remembered that the sea isn’t a resource, it’s a taonga.
Kia kaha,
Linda Westerman
PhD (Marine Ecology), Whakatāne