“This is a direct attack on the ability of local communities to safeguard their coastal environments,” said EDS Chief Operating Officer Shay Schlaepfer.

“It gives the fishing industry a long runway to continue destructive practices in areas that should be protected. It is a win for commercial fishing interests and a loss for indigenous biodiversity.

“The changes effectively mean that regional councils will have to jump through onerous procedural hoops, secure the concurrence of the Ministry for Primary Industries, and wait until the full plan process has concluded before any controls on fishing that seek to maintain indigenous biodiversity can take effect.

“EDS submitted strongly against these changes, arguing they would substantially weaken councils’ ability to manage the effects of fishing, including habitat destruction and ecosystem degradation, and consequently constrain their ability to fulfil statutory functions to maintain indigenous marine biodiversity.

“There is already well-established law on the ability of regional councils to impose controls on fishing. The sensible thing would have been to codify this law to provide clarity and certainty. Instead, the Government has chosen to upend that careful legal balance by introducing unnecessary barriers that will make it much harder for councils to act.

“New Zealand’s marine environment is under increasing pressure, and the Government’s approach makes it harder, not easier, to safeguard our coastal ecosystems.

“EDS will continue to advocate for a resource management system that properly protects indigenous marine biodiversity,” concluded Ms Schlaepfer.