01 Aug 2005

On the 26th July 2005 the Crown signed an agreement formally appointing a steward to take responsibility for allocating assets from the aquaculture settlement to iwi.

Te Ohu Kaimoana, which took over the allocation of Maori fisheries resources to tribes from the Waitangi Fisheries Commission, now takes over responsibility for ensuring that iwi organisations get marine farming water-space entitlements under the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Settlement.

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The Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act 2004 provides a full and final settlement of Maori commercial aquaculture interests since 21 September 1992. It allows the marine farming industry to continue growing without risk of litigation relating to contemporary Treaty grievances, and ensures iwi access to coastal marine space to develop their marine farming interests.

There are two sets of obligations to the settlement. The Act:

• Commits the Crown to providing the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Settlement Trust1 with the equivalent of 20 percent of existing aquaculture space in the coastal marine area, issued on or after 21 September 1992. (Existing space is all marine farming space being transitioned into the new regime.) These provisions will all be made on a region-by-region basis, except in those harbours identified by the Second Schedule of the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act 2004. The allocation for each of these harbours is calculated and provided separately.
• Requires 20 percent of all new aquaculture space identified in the coastal marine area to be transferred to iwi, via the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Settlement Trust.

For more information on the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act 2004 visit the Ministry for the Environment Website