Resource Management (Extended Duration of Coastal Permits for Marine Farms) Amendment Bill
New Zealand has about 1,200 marine farms (places that grow seafood like mussels, oysters, and salmon in the sea). Each farm needs a government permit to operate. Around 200 of these permits are about to expire by the end of 2024. This bill automatically adds up to 20 extra years to all current marine farm permits, but no permit can go past 31 December 2050. Councils can also choose to check and update the rules attached to these permits, but only once, and only within two years of the bill starting.
What this affects
Tap a topic to see how this bill touches it — with the parts of the text it’s based on.
The bill extends marine farm permits without requiring new environmental assessments, though councils can optionally review the conditions once.
The expiry date of the coastal permits to which this subpart applies is extended to whichever is the sooner of — (a) the date that is 20 years after the date on which the permit would otherwise expire; and (b) 31 December 2050.
The purpose of undertaking a review is to better promote the sustainable management of the natural and physical resources associated with the marine farm... in a way that is consistent with Part 2.
must not amend the duration of a coastal permit extended under section 165ZFHC(1), or change the species or consented area to which the coastal permit relates.
Progress through Parliament
Have your say
Submissions open once a bill reaches the select committee stage. In the meantime, you can write to your local MP about it.
Write to your MPBill text sourced from legislation.govt.nz (Parliamentary Counsel Office). Arapono’s summary and breakdown are drafted with AI grounded in that official text and reviewed by an Arapono editor for accuracy and neutrality before publishing. Arapono is non-partisan and takes no position on this bill.