This survey provides a benchmark overview of current and recent New Zealand marine research, both publicly and privately funded, and publicly and privately provided. The survey has been conducted in the context of the ongoing Oceans Policy development process. This process underlines the case for both short-term research to meet operational management needs (e.g. coastal erosion hazard assessment) and long-term research and science to improve understanding and meet strategic needs (e.g. snapper population modelling).
The survey covers the New Zealand marine sector but, in keeping with the Oceans Policy, it excludes associated industry activities such as seafood processing.
Geographically, it covers New Zealand estuaries, and coastal and offshore waters as well as the South Pacific and Antarctica. It focuses on the last two years (2001/02 and 2002/03) and, provisionally, the current financial year (2003/04).
Key Results
The survey results suggest that current and forthcoming research investments are addressing a wide range of the marine research issues and a number of the gaps identified by Oceans Policy stakeholders.
- A significant amount of marine research effort has been going on in the last two years, and appears to be continuing in 2003/04. Marine research investment in the last two years has averaged $63 million per year.
- The bulk of New Zealand marine research is publicly funded, although the private sector makes a significant contribution, particularly through cost recovery from industry for Ministry of Fisheries (MFish) and the Department of Conservation (DoC) research. A small but noteworthy amount comes from international sources. The Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (FRST) is the main funder.
- New Zealand marine research has recently had a major focus on understanding physical systems. However, if biological and ecological systems are grouped together then research on understanding living systems can be seen as the largest area of focus. There are emerging signs of more focus on aquaculture and bioactives, and less on physical systems. Little marine research relates to impacts on humans.
- While most marine research focuses on our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) plus coastal research, in the last two years at least one research dollar in seven has gone on research outside our EEZ, mainly in the South Pacific and Antarctica.
- There is a diversity of marine research providers in New Zealand, with Crown Research Institutes (CRIs) (particularly NIWA) and universities dominant among public sector providers. 70 private sector research providers and 15 Maori and community research providers are identified in this survey.
- New Zealand’s marine research activity relies on a diverse set of skills and capabilities, with oceanography, biology and related disciplines being foremost. Although respondents were not specifically asked to specify international research collaboration, analysis identified that such collaboration has recently been running close to 10% of total marine research investment.