What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Secretariat
Point of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries.
Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & Bird NZ conference that year:
“To strengthen coordination across government agencies, I have established an Oceans Secretariat comprising officials from the Department of Conservation, Ministry for Primary Industries, the Ministry for the Environment and other agencies as appropriate.
“This will ensure the right expertise is around the table to provide advice to Ministers on critical oceans issues, and to improve the current fragmented nature of New Zealand’s marine management system.”
The secretariat was subsequently mentioned in an announcement (Taking action on biodiversity challenges) and in a speech ( to the New Zealand Marine Sciences Society).
The news today is that Parker’s creation has been disestablished.
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones released a statement to bray that unnecessary bureaucracy is being cut in the oceans sector.
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy.
Ministers with portfolio responsibilities for oceans will now meet only on when needed, rather than regular meetings filled with officials, Jones said.
The Oceans Secretariat comprised officials from relevant agencies including Ministry for Primary Industries, Ministry for the Environment and Department of Conservation.
The agencies will continue to work together and provide joined-up advice when required.
The regulation of our marine environment – or rather, a loosening of the regulation – was the subject of another announcement today.
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced the Government’s intention to extend coastal permits for ports for a further 20 years.
The Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal permits to continue their operations. The permits were for activities they were undertaking at the time and had a duration of 35 years.
Since then, ports have expanded and obtained permits for new activities, but the complexity of gaining permits for pre-1991 activities has become increasingly difficult. The government is extending these permits by a further 20 years so that port companies have continued certainty for carrying out their activities.
The existing permits are set to expire in September 2026. They cover crucial aspects of port activities like navigation aids such as buoys, lights and fog signals, exclusive occupation areas such as safe anchor areas, and some structures such as wharves. They do not cover landside operations, discharges to water or air, or dredging.
The government intends that the proposed extension will be included in our second Resource Management Act Amendment Bill to be introduced later this year.
Over the next 20 years, all ports will have transitioned to permanent resource management arrangements, Brown says.
Chris Bishop had another crack at winning headlines when he commented on the latest statistics showing the rate of inflation is down to 4 per cent ,
As Acting Minister of Finance, he said this is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done – underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track,
“Low and stable inflation is important for New Zealand’s long-term success, and for Kiwis’ back pockets. We need to see inflation at the Reserve Bank’s target range of 1 to 3 per cent so that interest rates can follow, giving New Zealanders cost of living relief and allowing the economy to start growing strongly again.”
The Government’s plan to get the cost of living under control includes reducing taxes for hardworking Kiwis, FamilyBoost childcare tax credits, ensuring the Reserve Bank is focused solely on getting inflation under control, reducing wasteful government spending and cutting red tape to make it easier and cheaper to get things done.
Associate Education Minister David Seymour had something to say, too.
In a statement headed School attendance restored as a priority in health advice, Seymour said refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school.
This would address one of the key issues affecting school attendance, he said.
In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons have been the largest contributors to justified absences.
The percentage of time absent due to these continues to be higher than pre-COVID-19 figures – 8.6 per cent in Term 2 of 2022, and 6.9 per cent in Term 2 of 2023, compared with between 4 per cent and 5.3 per cent in Term 2 for years between 2015 and 2019.
The refreshed health guidance provides information on minor symptoms where it is okay for students to attend school and more significant symptoms of concern for parents and schools to look out for.
There are also links and information to help students cope with and overcome mild anxiety which may be affecting their school attendance.
Latest from the Beehive
17 APRIL 2024
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done – underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track,
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance.
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy.
Point of Order is a blog focused on politics and the economy run by veteran newspaper reporters Bob Edlin and Ian Templeton
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