TOP’s trawling bottom line sparks clash over Māori Treaty fishing rights
October 3, 2026
Summarised by Centrist
Opportunity leader Qiulae Wong’s demand to phase out bottom trawling as a condition of supporting the next government has put TOP on a collision course with Māori fishing interests.
There are warnings that the policy threatens rights and assets secured through the Māori Fisheries Settlement.
Moana, the Māori-owned company that fishes iwi quota and owns half of Sealord, calls the proposal irresponsible. Chief executive Steve Tarrant and industry group Seafood NZ say a ban would undermine property rights and contravene the settlement.
TOP proposes immediate closures in the Hauraki Gulf and other inshore areas facing critical ecosystem decline, followed by a three-year phase-out on seamounts and five years on other vulnerable deep-sea features. Its policy targets bottom-contact methods including trawling, dredging and Danish seining.
Tarrant disputes the assumption that other fishing methods could replace those catches at the same scale or cost. He warns of reduced local seafood supplies, higher prices and greater reliance on imports.
Seafood NZ says bottom trawling accounts for around 70% of commercial catch. It warns that ending the practice would threaten a sector supporting more than 14,500 jobs nationwide.
For Māori fishing interests, the objection also concerns intergenerational settlement assets. Tarrant says iwi quota owners, fishers, mana whenua and affected communities must be meaningfully involved before such decisions advance.
Moana supports targeted protections and improved fishing practices where the science justifies them.
TOP proposes assistance to retrain, change fishing methods or leave the industry.
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