Minister for Oceans and Fisheries

The Minister for Oceans and Fisheries is a minister in the New Zealand Government responsible for the management of New Zealand's fisheries, including aquaculture, and for oceans policy.

The present minister is Shane Jones, a member of the New Zealand First party.

Responsibilities

The Minister oversees Fisheries New Zealand, a business unit of the Ministry for Primary Industries (previously, the Ministry of Fisheries).

The Minister has responsibility for legislation related to fisheries, including the Fisheries Act 1996, the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act 2004, the Maori Fisheries Act 2004 and the Treaty of Waitangi (Fisheries Claims) Settlement Act 1992.

History

The position was established in 1977 during the Muldoon government. Previously, responsibility for fisheries was exercised by the Minister of Marine until 1972 and by the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries until 1977. For a brief period from 2010 to 2011, the portfolio was known as Fisheries and Aquaculture. From 2011 until 2017, it was combined with related portfolios into the Minister for Primary Industries.

The title change to Minister for Oceans and Fisheries in 2020 was intended to balance commercial and environmental issues. Responsibility for oceans policy was previously in the remit of the Minister of Conservation.

List of ministers

The following ministers held the office of Minister of Fisheries.Template:Sfn

Key

No.		Name	Portrait	Term of Office		Prime Minister
As Minister of Fisheries
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	1	Jim Bolger	File:Bolger, 1992.jpg	8 March 1977	13 December 1978	width=1 rowspan=2 style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Muldoon
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	2	Duncan MacIntyre	File:Duncan MacIntyre Greg Tate (crop).jpg	13 December 1978	26 July 1984
height=50 style="border-bottom:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|	3	Colin Moyle	File:Colin Moyle, 1968 II.jpg	26 July 1984	9 February 1990	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color;"|	Lange
height=50 style="border-top:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|						rowspan=2 style="border-bottom:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color;"|	Palmer
height=50 style="border-bottom:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|	4	Ken Shirley	File:No image.png	9 February 1990	2 November 1990
height=50 style="border-top:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|						style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Moore
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	5	Doug Kidd	File:Doug Kidd 2014 (cropped).jpg	2 November 1990	16 December 1996	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Bolger
height=15 style="border-bottom:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|	6	John LuxtonTemplate:Refn	File:John Luxton (cropped).jpg	16 December 1996	10 December 1999
height=15 style="border-top:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|						style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Shipley
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	7	Pete Hodgson	File:Pete Hodgson XMediaLab 2008.jpg	10 December 1999	26 February 2004	rowspan=3 style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Clark
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	8	David Benson-Pope	File:David Benson-Pope.jpg	26 February 2004	19 October 2005
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	9	Jim Anderton	File:Jim Anderton, 2010 (cropped).jpg	19 October 2005	19 November 2008
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	10	Phil Heatley	File:Phil Heatley (cropped).jpg	19 November 2008	25 February 2010	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Key
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	-	David Carter Acting	File:David Carter 2014.jpg	25 February 2010	1 April 2010
As Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	(10)	Phil Heatley	File:Phil Heatley (cropped).jpg	1 April 2010	14 December 2011	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Key
2011–2017: No separate appointments (see Minister for Primary Industries)
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	11	Stuart Nash	File:Hon Stuart Nash.jpg	26 October 2017	6 November 2020	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Ardern
As Minister for Oceans and Fisheries
height=40 style="border-bottom:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|	12	David Parker	File:Hon David Parker.jpg	6 November 2020	1 February 2023	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Ardern
height=15 style="border-top:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|						rowspan="4" style="border-bottom:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|	Hipkins
style="border-bottom:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|	(11)	Stuart Nash	File:Stuart Nash, 2023.jpg	1 February 2023	28 March 2023
style="border-bottom:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|	-	David Parker Acting	File:Hon David Parker.jpg	28 March 2023	12 April 2023
style="border-bottom:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color" |	13	Rachel Brooking	File:Profile--rachelbrooking-2-390x2-UNC.jpg	12 April 2023	27 November 2023
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	14	Shane Jones	File:Shane Jones 2018 5.jpg	27 November 2023	Incumbent	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Luxon

Table footnotes:

See also

• Aquaculture in New Zealand
• Fishing industry in New Zealand