Introduction to aquaculture and its management

Aquaculture in New Zealand

The New Zealand aquaculture industry produces some of the world's best seafood. New Zealand exports to 81 countries, with annual sales of around $650 million.

Aquaculture has a low environmental impact compared with other ways of producing protein. New Zealand is internationally recognised for its sustainably produced:

New Zealand Greenshell™ Mussels
King/Chinook salmon
Pacific oysters.

Our clean water, sheltered harbours, and abundant plankton are perfect for aquaculture – and we've got plenty of room for growth.

Aquaculture Strategy

In 2019, the Government released a strategy for developing New Zealand aquaculture.

The aim is to make the industry more:

sustainable
productive
resilient
inclusive.

Aquaculture strategy for New Zealand

How we manage aquaculture

To manage aquaculture in New Zealand, we:

advise the government on aquaculture issues
develop and manage aquaculture law
implement the Māori aquaculture settlement
provide information and support for food safety issues.

Aquaculture legislation

Māori commercial aquaculture claims settlement

Aquaculture food safety requirements

Our role in guiding sustainable aquaculture

To ensure that aquaculture in New Zealand is sustainable, we:

guide sustainable aquaculture development through an aquaculture strategy and action plan
assess new marine farms for their effect on recreational, customary, and commercial fishing
prevent unwanted pests and diseases in aquatic environments
manage land-based aquaculture (including movements of aquatic organisms on and off farms).

Sustainable aquaculture

Protecting aquaculture from biosecurity risks

National environmental standards for marine aquaculture

The national environmental standards for marine aquaculture (NES-MA):

provide consistent regulations to manage existing marine farms around New Zealand
will make sure marine farms meet best environmental practice.

National environmental standards for marine aquaculture

Extended duration of coastal permits for marine farms

Amendments to the Resource Management Act to extend the duration of coastal permits for marine farms came into force on 3 September 2024. The amendments:

extend the duration of marine farm coastal permits by 20 years, but not beyond 31 December 2050
provide a pathway for councils to review conditions applying to extended coastal permits.

Guidance to support the implementation of the Resource Management (Extended Duration of Coastal Permits for Marine Farms) Amendment Act (2024) [PDF, 261 KB]

Key information and application form for councils seeking to review consent conditions for extended coastal permits [DOCX, 75 KB]

Resource Management (Extended Duration of Coastal Permits for Marine Farms) Amendment Act (2024) – NZ Legislation

Planning and approving new aquaculture

The New Zealand Government supports well planned and sustainable aquaculture growth. It's committed to helping industry achieve its goal of $1 billion in annual sales by 2025. It's essential that aquaculture growth:

happens within acceptable environmental limits
respects other uses and values of our waterways and marine environment.

To make sure this happens, the planning and approval process for a new marine or land-based farm looks at its potential:

environmental effects
social effects
economic effects
cultural effects.

Marine aquaculture development is primarily managed by regional councils under regional coastal plans.

Land-based aquaculture (for example, in tanks) is managed by:

regional councils, through regional plans
district councils, through district plans
MPI, through fish farm licences and authorisations to move stock on and off farms.

The regional plans help councils:

identify areas where applications for aquaculture development are appropriate
assess applications.

How to get started in aquaculture

The process for getting started in aquaculture depends on the type of farm you want to set up. Find out about:

Farming seaweed

Fisheries New Zealand has developed guidance information about the seaweed farming sector and regulations to support those who are interested in farming seaweeds in New Zealand:

Seaweed farming fact sheet [PDF, 434 KB]

Resource consent needed

You'll need resource consent from the relevant council for any new aquaculture development. You can find out more about this process on the pages that explain how to set up a farm.

Guidance for councils on marine aquaculture management

To get approval to set up a marine farm, applicants must have a coastal permit (a type of resource consent) from their council. We have guidance to help councils: