Acciones Correctivas determinadas luego del Diagnóstico Inicial

The Labour Alliance coalition that formed the government after November 1999 did not come with a defined position on oceans policy. It did not appear in Labour’s manifesto, for example. 404 _However, both MfE and DoC briefings to their new ministers emphasised that addressing the fragmentary oceans management regime was a priority. 405 _{There appears to have been no immediate formal} review of policy direction, however. Rather, it was a case of policy inertia but with a significant difference in that an environmental initiative became the vehicle supporting further work. The New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy was approved by a new Cabinet in January 2000 (although drafted under the previous government, with its main goals and objectives largely unchanged). One of the many actions in the strategy called for more comprehensive policy objectives and defined

departmental responsibilities to better manage environmental effects in the oceans. The strategy

401_{Sustainable Development of Ocean Resources: Speech by John Luxton on behalf of Simon Upton, Minister}

for the Environment, http://www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/sustainable-development-ocean-resources (accessed 2/12/2012).

402 _{See DoC, "Briefing to the New Minister of Conservation," (Wellington: Department of Conservation, 1999).}

http://www.doc.govt.nz/documents/about-doc/role/policies-and-plans/a-briefing-for-the-new-minister-of- conservation-(dec.-1999).pdf (accessed 5/7/2013)

403 _{“As Prime Minister I am leading this work myself”.Our Oceans: The Next Great Economic Frontier}

conference,Speech by Jenny Shipley, Prime Ministerhttp://www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/our-oceans-next- great-economic-frontier-conference .

404 _{New Zealand Labour Party, "Key Policies 1999: The Future Is with Labour," (Wellington: New Zealand Labour}

Party, 1999).

405 _{DoC, "New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy," (Wellington: Department of Conservation, 2000). P.65. “An}

important first step in improving marine management would be an oceans strategy to address all the government’s functions in the marine environment and articulate clear goals, objectives, and management principles.” MfE, "Brief to Incoming Minister." P.21. DoC, "Briefing to the New Minister of Conservation." P.25.

5: Oceans policy

retained earlier administrative arrangements, at least in the interim. DPMC continued to be the leaddepartment. 406

Meanwhile, in December 1999, the PCE released a report on the management of New Zealand’s marine environment. The report said current marine management structures were arbitrary,

fragmented, and lacked a coherent overarching strategic focus that would integrate diverse interests and values. It recommended reviewing the adequacies of the current legislative and policy

framework to ensure integrated management of coastal and marine areas, giving high priority to identifying and protecting a selection of seamounts for information and ecological research purposes, and establishing a Coastal and Oceans Task Force to develop an overarching strategy for the sustainable management of New Zealand's marine environment.407

Thus the new Labour-led government was in part steered into agreeing to continue with oceans work, though with no evidence that it was disinclined to do this.

Some literature on New Zealand’s oceans policy development says that policy work effectively got underway only after 1999 and that the PCE report was the most influential factor. In fact, the evidence is that work had already started within departments in late 1998, the previous government had given a commitment to produce an oceans policy, and departmental views also had some influence in addition to the PCE report.408

Accompanying the Biodiversity Strategy, in May 2000, was a large budget allocation. There were two decisions in that budget that affected oceans policy: the first was $2.5 million to fund the

development of ocean policy over three years; the second made Minfish responsible for the funding, thus transferring financial responsibility for the process from DPMC.409 _{These decisions also had} another effect. The Minister of Fisheries was Pete Hodgson. He had been the opposition

spokesperson on environmental matters. Although not Minister for the Environment, he played a prominent role in environmental policy development in the years after the 1999 change of

government.410 _{Cabinet decisions in March 2000 about the Biodiversity Strategy had identified the} Minister for the Environment as responsible for marine action. In July 2000, however, Hodgson

406 _{———, "New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy." P.65. The recommendation noted biodiversity was only one}

element of these actions. Also CAB (00) M2/7 dated 31 January 2000.

407 _{PCE, "Setting a Course for a Sustainable Future: The Management of New Zealand's Marine Environment."} 408 _{Foster, "New Zealand's Oceans Policy." Pp,471-472.Vince, "New Zealand's Oceans Governance: Calming}

Turbulent Waters." P.414.

409 _{Funding involved $.844 in 2000/01, $1.125 in 2001/02, and $.563 in 2002/03. Cabinet paper CAB (00) M16/6}

(4) in DoC file NHB 02 Volume 1.

5: Oceans policy

became lead minister of an ad hoc group of six ministers with delegated responsibility for developing an oceans policy.411

Therefore, while there is evidence for continuity between 1999 and 2000, there was a definite altered emphasis to policy work. In July 2000, Cabinet, besides agreeing to a ministerial group, also agreed that an oceans policy should identify clear goals and principles within a framework that managed human impacts on the marine environment, as foreshadowed in the Biodiversity Strategy.412 _{In other words, the policy should have an overriding environmental imperative, rather} than the more development oriented imperative evident in previous policy direction. Furthermore, environmental officials had a senior lead minister with environmental leanings, there were resources to pursue a policy, and there was a Cabinet mandate, all of which suggest ocean policy would emerge in the near future.

5.3.4

An oceans strategy: “good process” and the possibly comprehensive