Māori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act 2004

The Māori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act 2004 (the Settlement Act) provides for the settlement of Māori claims to commercial aquaculture. It was developed as part of the 2004 aquaculture law reforms and provided for allocation of 20 per cent of aquaculture management areas to iwi. The 2011 aquaculture law reforms removed the requirement for aquaculture management areas to be established and therefore a new delivery mechanism for the settlement was required.

The 2011 aquaculture law reforms provided for the settlement (the 20 per cent obligation) to be delivered on a regional basis through a regional agreement, or, when an agreement is not reached within the specified time frame, through a default option.

The Minister responsible for aquaculture has a power to issue a Gazette notice to set aside space in the coastal marine area while regional agreements are being negotiated. These are called ‘Aquaculture Settlement Areas’. Within such areas, authorisations will give iwi the exclusive right to apply for consent for aquaculture activities in that space.

Last updated at 1:31PM on February 25, 2015