Subantarctic Islands Marine Reserves Bill – First reading speech

Mr Speaker, I move that the Subantarctic Islands Marine Reserves Bill be read for a first time.

I nominate the Local Government and Environment Select Committee to consider this Bill.

New Zealand’s subantarctic islands (Antipodes Island Group, Bounty Islands, Auckland Island and Campbell Island and Snares Islands are located in the southeast of New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

The islands and their surrounding territorial seas are internationally important for their conservation values and were awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 1998. The land area of each of the subantarctic islands is fully protected through having national reserve and nature reserve status.

They contain exceptional marine biodiversity in a remote setting, largely free from human impacts resulting in near pristine ecosystems. The islands generate significant economic activity through a multi-million dollar wildlife tourism industry that brought between 800 and 1,100 tourists visiting the islands in each of the last two seasons.

Local and international visitors want to experience the climate and iconic wildlife. The islands are absolutely stunning, with an abundance of native species – albatross, penguins, sea lions, fur seals and southern right whales.

The islands are protected as nature reserves, befitting their World Heritage status. But it is not only the islands that were considered World Heritage. The high conservation values continue to the sea, as does the World Heritage status, which extends to the limits of the territorial sea surrounding the islands. Some of the most biologically-diverse marine communities in the world are found here and recent research shows that their diversity compares with locations such as the Galapagos Islands.

As on land, beneath the surface of the sea, each island group is significantly different, each with its own unique suite of habitats and species. For example, Antipodes Island rocky reefs are dominated by encrusting coralline algae, and the island has its own unique species of bull kelp, while the reefs at the neighbouring Bounty Islands are dominated by encrusting animals such as sponges, barnacles and mussels.

But the difference does not end there. While all of the subantarctic islands terrestrial areas are already fully protected as national nature reserves, only at the Auckland Islands has a similar level of protection been afforded to the marine environment, through the establishment of a marine reserve in 2003.

This Bill rectifies that situation by extending protection out into the territorial sea around three of the subantarctic island groups. Protection that befits the world heritage status it has been accorded.

I must emphasise, Mr Speaker, that this Bill is the result of a stakeholder-led process. Representatives of science, iwi, fishing and conservation groups gathered to examine the areas, their marine biodiversity and the islands’ associated stakeholder interests. After public consultation, recommendations were made for marine protected areas in the territorial sea around the Antipodes, Bounty and Campbell island groups.

The Bill progresses the work of the stakeholder forum by establishing a marine reserve around the Antipodes Island, covering its entire territorial sea, that is out to 12 nautical miles. Further, the Bill establishes two large marine reserves around the Bounty Islands and Campbell Island,, covering 58% and 39% of those islands’ territorial sea respectively. In total 435,163 hectares will be protected in these three marine reserves.

Combined with the existing marine reserve around the Auckland Islands, nearly a million hectares of New Zealand’s subantarctic territorial sea will then be fully protected in no-take marine reserves. No longer will marine conservation be lagging behind terrestrial protection in what is one of the world’s most ecologically important natural areas.

My colleague, the Hon David Carter, Minister for Primary Industries, is adding further protection to the remainder of the territorial sea. In addition to existing prohibitions on bottom trawling and dredging, new prohibitions on Danish seining will be introduced– an additional 250,000 hectares – around the three island groups. This means the territorial sea of all three island groups will have achieved Marine Protected Area status.

The creation of marine reserves through the Bill recognises existing users. The established ling fishery will be allowed to continue using long-lining in some areas around the Bounty Islands, as this technique has a very limited by-catch.

The Bill also grants a five-year window to allow for a potential deep-water crab fishery to be explored around Campbell Island. At the end of that five-year period, the status of this area will be reviewed. If it’s decided that a viable and sustainable crab fishery does not exist, then the entire territorial sea around Campbell Island could become a marine reserve.

Mr Speaker, these will be the first marine protected areas to be implemented under the Government’s Marine Protected Areas Policy that sets out New Zealand’s new, more co-ordinated and collaborative approach to protecting our marine biodiversity.

The Government is introducing the Bill in order to establish these marine reserves in a timely and efficient manner. This recognises the comprehensive process undertaken by the forum in planning for and consulting on the marine reserve proposals. To proceed with individual applications for each marine reserve under the Marine Reserves Act 1971 would be to duplicate some of the processes the forum has already undertaken.

Mr Speaker, this Government is looking to update the old marine reserves legislation to provide for a better statutory process for establishing marine reserves in due course - in the meantime this Bill will give the sea surrounding three of New Zealand’s subantarctic islands the protection they deserve.

This Bill fulfils the expectations of the World Heritage committee that New Zealand will protect these internationally recognised conservation values in a manner befitting their status.

I commend this Bill to the House.