4 Other issues

Summary of issues

During consultation, feedback was sought on “comments or suggestions on the issues covered by this consultation document”.

Analysis

There were 16 responses to this question. Of these, 12 responses were out of scope because they related to the formula3 that determines the NZU allocation or they questioned why quota owners were receiving NZUs rather than fishing vessel operators. Both of these issues are set in the Act and were specifically excluded from consideration in the consultation document.4

Two responses (the Seafood Industry Council and Sanford) requested that the information provided for the New Zealand Emissions Register should be consistent with the FishServe register to validate registrations and provide consistency of information. This is already the case because the Act enables the Minister responsible to rely on the information in the quota register.5 Further, only application forms pre-printed with data will be sent to owners of fishing quota at the end of the day on 24 September 2009. All application forms will be processed at once therefore any ‘duplicate’ applications will be identified.

One submitter raised the point that he would be unable to access the NZEUR, and therefore his NZU entitlement, because he didn’t have any intention to start using a computer. Both the United Nation’s “Data Exchange Standards” and the Act require that the NZEUR is an electronic register. Fishing quota owners are best placed to make a decision about whether they wish to access their entitlement and whether there would be a net benefit to them. Choosing to undertake the necessary steps to open a NZEUR account is part of this decision.

The remaining single response was “no comment”.

Recommendation

No responses on other matters covered by the consultation document should be reflected in the final Fishing Allocation Plan.

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3 Climate Change Response Act 2002, section 74.

4 Ministry for the Environment. 2010. New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme: Draft Fishing Allocation Plan Consultation Document. Wellington: Ministry for the Environment, p3.

5 Climate Change Response Act 2002, section 77(9).