Te Ohu Kaimoana Māori Fisheries Strategy 2017

In 2017 Te Ohu Kaimoana has developed its Māori Fisheries Strategy to identify its future priorities and the resources and structure it needs to address those priorities for the benefit of all Māori.

To develop this draft Strategy, we considered the following questions:

• What do iwi want from their fisheries rights?
• How is the New Zealand fisheries sector structured and how does it function?
• Where are the key sources of power and decision-making located within the fisheries sector?
• Where are iwi located in the fisheries sector relative to the sources of power and decision-making within the fisheries sector?
• Does the iwi and Māori position within the fisheries sector advance the achievement of rangatiratanga?

Having explored these questions, we drew a number of conclusions.

First, Māori must remain vigilant in defending our collective rights from the unilateral Crown action, which can breach the 1992 Fisheries Deed of Settlement and the Treaty of Waitangi.

Second, the protection, maintenance and development of our collective fisheries rights requires ongoing unity if we are to protect our rights.

Third, there is a need to understand the relationship between the ability of each individual iwi to exercise their fisheries rights, and the collective nature of those rights, which belong to all Māori. Without protection of those collective rights, the abilty of individual iwi to exercise their rights and benefit from them will be undermined.

This document sets out key strategies and actions to address these matters.