Ministry Statements & Speeches:
New Zealand welcomes the topic of focus for this year’s United Nations Open-Ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea - the ocean as a source of sustainable food. We convey our sincere gratitude to the co-chairs from Finland and Tonga for bringing us together, both virtually and in person, to discuss this important issue.
Across the Pacific region, the ocean defines ways of life. Economies rely on the ocean, through fisheries and aquaculture, tourism and shipping; livelihoods are closely linked to the sustainable use of marine resources; and culture and recreation take shape around the ocean and its shores.
New Zealand places great importance on our collective stewardship responsibilities for the ocean, its conservation and sustainable use. We are an island nation, with significant maritime zones, of the Pacific, of the Blue Ocean Continent.
Effective management of the ocean and its resources is essential to maintaining and strengthening its role as a source of sustainable food. This year we are pleased to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the entry into force of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). UNCLOS is the definitive legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out. Adherence to the UNCLOS framework, including its implementing agreements, is necessary to ensure the continued sustainability of the ocean and its resources and secure the role of the ocean as a source of sustainable food.
New Zealand works with Pacific countries and regional organisations in order to protect the sustainability of fisheries resources for future generations. Sustainable management of key fish stocks is critical for food security, as it is for employment, and the wellbeing of coastal communities.
The Pacific relies on seafood as a foundation of local food systems; seafood contributes between 50 – 90% of dietary animal protein for Pacific Island coastal communities. Beyond food security, the ocean is also significant to the Pacific’s social, cultural, environmental, and economic well-being.
The security of our seafood remains threatened by overexploitation. The FAO’s most recent State of the World Fisheries and Aquaculture reporting points to how fisheries management has successfully turned around cases of overfishing; but still there is a concerning decline in the global state of fish stocks. Similarly, there has been great progress in how States combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, but still it risks the livelihoods of legitimate fishers and threatens fisheries sustainability.
New Zealand was proud to ratify the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement in September 2023. The Agreement is important for the Pacific region, and fish stocks globally, and we encourage others to ratify so to bring it into force in a timely way.
As noted by the Report of the Secretary-General, effective fisheries management systems address environmental, social and economic objectives. To that end, regional fisheries management organisations are vital for the management of straddling stocks and highly migratory species, ensuring fishing activities in an area remain sustainable and do not adversely impact on biodiversity and marine ecosystems. Genuine cooperation between countries is essential to the long-term sustainability of fish stocks and the recommendations from last year’s UN Fish Stocks Agreement Review Conference serve as a sound guide for how we can meaningfully improve this cooperation.
New Zealand remains concerned about the impact of climate pressures and ocean acidification on marine environments and fisheries. As described in the report of the Secretary-General, the impact of climate change on aquatic foods is a complex issue. For example, we are only just beginning to understand the implications of the change in tuna’s migratory patterns caused by rising ocean temperatures, and the associated impacts on Pacific Island countries’ access to tuna fisheries; on investments in tuna processing; and in bilateral tuna fisheries access negotiations.
New Zealand remains committed to helping Pacific Island countries respond to these challenges, including through supporting an Advanced Warning System to provide countries with more accurate forecasts of shifts in tuna populations and allow them to respond more effectively. In coastal waters, New Zealand is supporting Pacific Island Countries to undertake comprehensive marine spatial planning to help ensure food security and livelihoods can be maintained despite the impacts of climate change.
We must protect and preserve the marine environment and biodiversity to maintain the health, resilience and productivity of marine ecosystems. This will be the only way in which we can truly ensure the ocean remains a source of sustainable highly nutritious food.
We look forward to fruitful discussions on these most important issues.
I thank you.