Horomia Parekura: Resource Management (Aquaculture Moratorium Extension) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Horomia Parekura: Resource Management (Aquaculture Moratorium Extension) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:614;Page:10617] 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Minister of Maori Affairs) 
 on behalf of the Minister of Fisheries: I move  
That the Resource Management (Aquaculture Moratorium Extension) Amendment Bill be now read a first time. 
 At the appropriate time I intend to move that the bill be referred to the Primary Production Committee for consideration and that the committee present its final report by Monday 1 March 2004. 
The bill amends the Resource Management Act of 1991 to extend the current moratorium on coastal permit applications for aquaculture activities. The moratorium has been in place since 28 November 2001 and is due to expire on 25 March 2004. The bill extends the moratorium to 31 December 2004. The moratorium was introduced to enable the Government to reform aquaculture law and to enable councils to begin planning for aquaculture under the new framework. It has ensured that councils have not been flooded with marine farm applications in a race for space before the new legislation comes into effect. An extension of the moratorium is now unavoidable due to a delay in the introduction of aquaculture reform legislation. 
The foreshore and seabed issues have introduced late and unexpected issues to the aquaculture policy process. Both concern the use of and access to coastal space. The Government intends to deal with them in an integrated and consistent way. The Government is driven to avoid the need for an extension to the moratorium. The issues are profound and complex but an extension now will ensure that we get the legislation and policy right. The Minister of Fisheries told the marine farming industry in July that an extension of the moratorium might be necessary and that if it were it would be for a defined period—measured in months not years. Consistent with that the extension proposed in the bill is for 9 months only. 
The Government is committed to aquaculture law reform because the current legislative framework is outdated overcomplicated and dysfunctional. The new legislation will allow for the expansion of marine farming while ensuring that it is managed sustainably allowing for recreational environmental customary and commercial interests. The bill also deals with a problem arising from the present dual permitting process for marine farming. Some coastal permits issued under the Resource Management Act for aquaculture have lapsed. To remedy this the bill deems existing coastal permits to have been given effect to for Resource Management Act purposes by an application for a Fisheries Act permit. The bill also revives certain coastal permits for aquaculture that had lapsed under the current conditions. 
Finally the bill removes the time limit within which the Minister of Conservation may recommend the early expiry of the moratorium in the specific area that it cancels requests. The current time limit of 20 working-days is insufficient to complete the Order in Council process. The bill does not impose a new time frame but gives the Minister a general duty to avoid all unreasonable delay. 
In summary this bill provides for a limited extension to the aquaculture moratorium and deals with some process problems arising for marine farmers from the current dual permitting regime. I commend the bill to the House.