Following this consultation, the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries and the Minister of Conservation have approved a revised National Plan of Action – Sharks 2026 (NPOA–Sharks 2026). More details are in the Minister of Conservation's media release.
Revised plan for the protection and management of sharks (media release) – Beehive
Fisheries New Zealand and the Department of Conservation reviewed the National Plan of Action – Sharks 2013 (NPOA–Sharks 2013).
The revised plan was called the National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks 2022 (NPOA – Sharks 2022).
In developing the draft NPOA – Sharks 2022, we took advice from the Sharks Advisory Group, which had representatives from government agencies, environmental groups, commercial and recreational fishers, and Te Ohu Kaimoana.
This consultation closed on 13 September 2022.
Draft National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks 2022 [PDF, 4 MB]
Review of the National Plan of Action – Sharks 2013 [PDF, 488 KB]
Questions and Answers for the draft NPOA – Sharks 2022 [PDF, 158 KB]
New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is home to at least 113 species of shark, of which more than 70 have been recorded in fisheries. The term ‘shark’, as used in these documents, refers to all sharks, rays, skates, chimaeras, and other members of the Class Chondrichthyes.
As apex predators, sharks can play important roles in maintaining healthy ocean ecosystems. Sharks also share biological characteristics such as late maturing and low reproduction rates that can make them susceptible to over-fishing.
Sharks face a wide range of threats, including interactions with fisheries. The New Zealand Government's commitment to reducing interactions with fisheries is set out in the NPOA – Sharks.
New Zealand issued its first NPOA – Sharks in 2008, with a second iteration issued in 2013. The draft NPOA – Sharks 2022 builds on previous iterations. It summarises what we know about sharks, the cultural significance of sharks to Māori, the economic importance of commercially targeted shark species, and how we can reduce captures of protected and unwanted sharks. In this version, we tried to make sure that the goals and objectives are achievable, measurable, and easily understood.
The focus of the draft NPOA – Sharks 2022 is on education and ensuring that all fishers, commercial, recreational, and customary, take all practicable steps to minimise the risk to sharks. The key components of the draft 2022 action plan are its vision, goals, objectives, and performance measures.
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