Best practice

• Include iwi, user groups and conservationists at the forefront of the process
• Ensure all statutory agencies, which will need to implement the plan, are fully engaged from its inception
• Be strategic and focus on what is important, taking a long-term perspective. Many problems have taken decades to develop and will take time to resolve.
• Include an historical perspective to address the ‘sliding baseline’ problem where the extent of degradation is under-estimated due to it spanning more the one human lifetime
• Plan for the future rather than the past and anticipate future pressures and uses
• Focus on identifying opportunities which serve to both protect the environment and support economic, social and cultural wellbeing
• Use science to inform but not drive the process
• Integrate mātauranga Māori into the understanding of the issues and potential solutions
• Start with an in-depth understanding of the ecological backbone of the marine area, and what areas, habitats and species are important to its ongoing productivity, diversity and health
• Plan for other activities within the framework provided by the ecological backbone
• Be creative and consider a range of tools to achieve desired outcomes, rather than relying solely on regulation

Last updated at 2:11PM on February 25, 2015