Reform scam FAQs
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Customary Fisheries | Fisheries Management | maximum sustainable yield | QMS | Economics | Fishing | Rescue Fish | Environment | Fishing methods | Recreational Fishing | Fishcare | customary | Kahawai | Reform scam | Baitfish | Scallops | Crayfish | WRC decision | Marlin | Reef fish | Deemed value penalties | Judicial Review | Kill the Bill
March 4, 2026
It’s a scheme developed by the commercial fishing industry and the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries to shift more power into the hands of commercial quota owners and weaken safeguards designed to protect our fish. In February 2025 the Minister and industry representatives proposed a package of changes to the Fisheries Act. The ‘reform’ package ... Read more.
March 4, 2026
No, it merely reduces costs for quota owners while the public bears the cost of environmental degradation. The majority of our seafood in New Zealand is exported overseas on average for less than $6 a kilo (excluding shellfish & crayfish). There are few, if any, fish available to Kiwis at this price. (Source – Seafood ... Read more.
March 4, 2026
Because the fisheries resource belongs to all New Zealanders. Judicial review is a fundamental part of the decision-making process, available to all New Zealanders. It allows for expert, independent oversight by judges who can review decisions and how they compare to the law. It’s a basic accountability mechanism that ensures decisions follow the law and ... Read more.
March 4, 2026
Court scrutiny has historically played a critical role in holding Fisheries Ministers accountable to the purpose of the Fisheries Act. The Minister must ensure sustainability and protect the wider marine environment when making fisheries decisions. Recent High Court decisions involving crayfish, tarakihi, and the protection of hoiho (yellow-eyed penguins) have all reinforced the Act’s purpose. ... Read more.
February 19, 2026
No. LegaSea and the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council have submitted many times that the deemed value system is not working. It’s not fair on smaller operators if larger operators, who hold a lot of Annual Catch Entitlement (ACE), will not release it. This encourages dumping, which is not good for the small-scale operator, nor ... Read more.
February 19, 2026
Deemed value penalties are supposed to be a deterrent to prevent commercial fishers from exceeding lawful catch limits. If these penalties are reduced, it will encourage ongoing catches beyond sustainable limits, weakening protections for fish stocks. The cost of commercial fishers catching more than they are legally allowed would instead be treated as an acceptable ... Read more.
February 19, 2026
No. The money collected from deemed value penalties goes into the Government’s Consolidated Fund. There is no requirement that deemed value revenue is reinvested into fisheries management expenses such as enforcement, monitoring, stock assessments and fisheries science.
February 19, 2026
Deemed value penalties are meant to work like a fine, a financial incentive that encourages fishers to stay within lawful catch limits. The penalty is supposed to be high enough to encourage responsible fishing, but low enough to discourage dumping of unwanted catch overboard.
February 19, 2026
Deemed value penalties are financial penalties commercial fishers are required to pay when they catch more fish than they are legally allowed. Commercial fishers must acquire Annual Catch Entitlements (ACE) to cover the fish they catch. If they catch more fish than they have ACE, they must buy more ACE. If they cannot source enough ... Read more.
May 30, 2025
The Minister for Oceans and Fisheries is calling the proposed changes to the Fisheries Act a reform package, claiming that they will improve responsiveness, efficiency and certainty of how our fisheries are managed. The proposed changes are not real reforms. They are changes to give more control to commercial interests at the expense of the ... Read more.
