Strategy for Phase II ( ) DRAFT FOR CONSULTATION

Transcription

1 Strategy for Phase II ( ) DRAFT FOR CONSULTATION

2 Contents Figures... 3 Glossary... 4 Draft Strategic Plan for the second 5 year period of the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge 7 1. Introduction Past performance Overview of progress Challenges met Engagement Research quality and impact Future strategy What does success look like? What does success look like for society? What does success look like for Māori and stakeholders? What does success look like for Sustainable Seas? Five-year strategy Developing the strategy Introduction Research Themes Theme 1: Degradation and recovery in multi-use ecosystems Theme 2: Creating value from a blue economy Theme 3: Risk and uncertainty Theme 4: Enabling EBM Tangaroa Vision Mātauranga Linking across themes Building on past projects Links with other Challenges and stakeholders Approach to research Research focus Integrated research Best teams and research capability Project development and funding Meeting the needs of Māori and stakeholders Meeting the Challenge objective and outcomes Ensuring quality Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( )

3 9.1 Developing research projects Making best use of Aotearoa New Zealand research and capabilities Leveraging international researchers and research organisations Delivering impact Delivering benefits Challenge decision-making and accountability arrangements Indicative budget Scenario planning Enhancing ecosystem health Figures Figure 1: Ecosystem-based management (EBM) for an Aotearoa New Zealand context... 8 Figure 2: The 'focal area' and 'case study area' for Phase I research Figure 3: Relationship between healthy ecosystems, the blue economy and ecosystem-based management (EBM) Figure 4: The relationship between the Phase II research themes and ecosystem-based management (EBM) Figure 5: How the Phase I research programmes map into the Phase II themes Figure 6: Overview of Phase II strategy Figure 7: Sustainable Seas governance and management structure for phase II Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( )

4 Glossary Aligned core funding that part of Government funding for Crown Research Institutes (CRIs) that underpins the Challenge Mission, and which CRI Boards remain responsible for. Best teams teams that work together collaboratively to provide quality research to meet the Objective of the Challenge, given availability, Challenge resources, and timeframes. Blue economy is one that works innovatively to enhance the capabilities of local people to work with the dynamics of marine ecosystems to generate livelihoods and healthy communities while maintaining ecological functioning. Community a group of people (or organisms) broadly distinguished from other groups by mutual interests, shared environments and institutions, and a common culture. Contestable funding funding where there will be a call for proposals to undertake defined projects. Culture the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people. Ecological function is the functioning of the biological, chemical and physical components of an ecosystem. Ecosystem-based management (EBM) a holistic and inclusive way to manage marine environments, and the competing uses for, demands on, and ways New Zealanders value them. Ecosystem a dynamic complex of biotic factors (plant, animal including humans and microorganism communities) and abiotic factors (their non-living environment) interacting as a functional unit. Ecosystem goods the tangible, material products derived from ecosystem processes, eg, oxygen and provisioning services such as seafood, minerals, raw materials, drugs, energy. Ecosystem services the multitude of benefits that humankind gains from ecosystems, which are commonly grouped into four broad categories: provisioning (eg, production of seafood, minerals, raw materials, drugs, energy); regulating (eg, climate control, carbon sequestration, waste decomposition and detoxification, pest and disease control); supporting (eg, nutrient cycling, primary production, larval dispersal, habitat provision); and cultural (eg, spiritual, historical and recreational benefits). Engagement the process by which organisations and individuals build ongoing active relationships for the purpose of applying a collective vision and building trust in a community. Interdisciplinary across different fields of research, for example bringing together biophysical science, social science and law. Kaitiakitanga intergenerational responsibility for ensuring the well-being of natural resources for future generations. Kaupapa Māori ground rules, first principles, and/or plan of action created within a Māori context, which expresses Māori aspirations, values and perspectives. Mahinga kai refers to both the sites and practice of gathering food directly from the environment. Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 4

5 Marine estate refers to the ocean and seafloor extending from the coastal margin to the outer boundaries of Aotearoa New Zealand s Exclusive Economic Zone and Extended Continental Shelf (including the Ross Sea), which contains natural resources that Aotearoa New Zealand is entitled to use and over which it has obligations of stewardship and care on behalf of future generations. Marine resources a collective term that describes useable goods and services in the marine estate. Manaakitanga in a sustainable seas context this denotes the role of marine resources in providing for and uplifting the mana of Māori communities. Māori for the purposes of this document Māori is taken to include Treaty partners, iwi, hapū, whānau and Māori organisations. Māramatanga clarity, illumination, perspective and understanding. Model a representation, potentially a mathematical one, of a natural phenomenon or an ecosystem. Mātauranga Māori the indigenous Māori knowledge system of Aotearoa New Zealand including knowledge of language, technology, systems of law and social control, the environment, spirituality, cultural practice, systems of property and value exchange, forms of expression, and much more. Multidisciplinary across disciplines within a field of science, for example bringing biology, chemistry and physics together Negotiated funding funding for projects that will be negotiated using a best team approach, in which a project team will be asked to submit a project proposal that addresses the project brief. Participation the action of taking part in something. Rāhui a customary mechanism often utilised for the closure of an area, in which harvesting of resources is banned to foster regeneration and protection. Related research refers to current research, other than aligned CRI core-funded research, that is relevant to the Sustainable Seas research programmes. Resilience the capacity or ability to recover quickly from an event or series of events. Social Licence to Operate (SLO) the ability of an organisation to carry on its business because society has confidence that it will behave in a legitimate, accountable and socially and environmentally acceptable way (Sustainable Business Council definition). Society a collective term that encompasses a group of people sharing the same geographical territory, subject to the same political authority. Includes communities, Māori, industry, researchers, and regulators and managers of marine resources. Stakeholders a person or group that has an interest in any given activity or decision. This includes central and local government, communities, industry, resource managers, researchers and non-government organisations (NGOs). Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 5

6 Stressors environmental changes that affect particular organisms, including humans. This includes changes in natural conditions (eg, temperature) as well as human activities (eg, dredging). A single human activity may consist of more than one stressor (eg, fin fish farming may decrease currents and increase nutrients) and different human activities may exert the same stressor (eg, trawling and port dredging both physically disturb the seafloor). Transdisciplinary bringing together interdisciplinary teams with Māori and stakeholders to codesign and co-develop research. Te reo Māori language; an official language of Aotearoa New Zealand. Tikanga Māori ethics and ethical behaviour (that derive from Kaupapa); in the context of Sustainable Seas, it is the protocols and customs based around the marine environment. Tipping point tipping points happen when subtle but cumulative effects suddenly and drastically alter the way an ecosystem functions, and its ability to cope with changing conditions. They are almost always negative for example the loss of environmental resources such as biodiversity and kai moana, or ecosystem services such as water purification. Treaty of Waitangi an agreement signed by Māori chiefs and representatives of the British Crown in 1840 apportioning sovereignty, ownership and protection rights. Often referred to as a constitutional agreement. Values the aspirations that humans hold for ecosystems, here divided into: economic values, which relate to direct use for economic benefit; cultural, spiritual and social values, which express beliefs pertaining to desirable states and/or modes of conduct that transcend specific situations, guide behaviour; and environmental values, which are related to the intrinsic naturalness and integrity of the ecosystem. There is inevitably overlap between the categories, despite different metrics generally being needed to measure them. Vision Mātauranga a policy framework developed by the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment to guide research in unlocking the innovation potential of Māori knowledge, resources and people. Whakapapa a Māori framework (often referred to in genealogical terms) that builds layer upon layer from the past to the present to the future and includes spiritual, mythological and human stories to describe the interconnectedness of all living things. It is the core of Māori identity and the basis of mātauranga Māori. Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 6

7 Draft Strategic Plan for the second 5 year period of the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge Please find attached an early draft of the Strategic Plan for the second 5 year period of the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge hosted by NIWA. We are seeking your feedback on its relevance and direction. New Zealand is very fortunate to be served by a number of internationally respected marine research organisations, all of whom have combined as collaborating parties to contribute to and implement the strategy of the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge. Those Collaborating parties are NIWA, the Universities of Auckland, Otago, Canterbury, Waikato and Victoria, Cawthron Institute and GNS. They, along with other researchers, provide the skills, knowledge and tools the Challenge relies on to achieve its objective. Whilst the Sustainable Seas objective is to enhance utilisation of our marine resources within environmental and biological constraints, the Challenge funded research is a small subset of the marine research conducted by our collaborating parties, most particularly our host NIWA, and other research organisations. Much of the research undertaken by these organisation aligns well with the Challenge and provides a broader knowledge of the marine environment. The Challenge will rely heavily on their research and capability as it addresses many of the issues related to the marine environment that have been identified by Māori and stakeholders. The science community has for some time recognised that the best way to enhance utilisation of our marine resources within environmental and biological constraints is by establishing an ecosystem-based management (EBM) approach specific to Aotearoa New Zealand s unique needs and aspirations. EBM is a holistic, inclusive and place-based approach to marine management that creates a strong link between healthy functioning ecosystems and a thriving blue economy that accounts for the effects and values of multiple users and uses. Hence the primary focus of the Challenge. It is in this context that the specific research questions outlined in the themes within this draft Sustainable Seas research strategy have been determined. This should ensure that they are complementary and additional to the marine research and outreach activity already being undertaken. Your feedback on the Sustainable Seas draft research strategy will be important to the Board of the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge as it considers and ultimately determines the research strategy for the second 5 year period of the Challenge. Sir Rob Fenwick Chair Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 7

8 1. Introduction The Sustainable Seas Challenge is undertaking the research required to ensure Aotearoa New Zealand uses its marine resources in ways that sustain healthy ecosystems and provide value for all New Zealanders. At its core, the Challenge will foster a blue economy that creates value from healthy ecosystems and contributes to sustaining them, delivering diverse social and cultural values. It will do this by creating the knowledge necessary to successfully implement ecosystem-based management (EBM) (Figure 1) appropriate to the needs of Aotearoa New Zealand. Figure 1: Ecosystem-based management (EBM) principles for an Aotearoa New Zealand context. (Note: these are working principles that will evolve as we co-develop EBM with Māori and stakeholders) We will build on early successes in organising and undertaking research differently to achieve this objective and realise the vision. This strategy strengthens our research agenda by focusing efforts on four tightly integrated research themes that address the links between: human activities and ecological function, what is required to create a thriving blue economy, the risks and uncertainties associated with using and managing marine resources, and the requirements for successfully implementing EBM. Research in these themes incorporates the Vision Mātauranga Policy, and the continued Tangaroa research stream focuses on research that supports related Māori 1 aspirations. We have used the relationships that have been built successfully within the research community, with Māori, and with other stakeholders 2 to sharpen the Challenge s focus and enhance its impact. 1 For the purposes of this document Māori is taken to include Treaty partners, iwi, hapū, whānau, mana whenua, tāngata whenua, iwi commercial or social entities and community members of Māori descent. 2 Stakeholders include a person or group that has an interest in any given activity or decision. This includes central and local government, communities, industry, resource managers, researchers and NGOs. Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 8

9 We are committed to transdisciplinary research and inclusive practices that involve Māori and stakeholders at all stages of the research process, consistent with the principles of EBM. We are also committed to innovative approaches to developing research capability, fostering research innovation, meeting the needs of stakeholders, and realising partnership obligations with Māori. 2. Past performance 2.1 Overview of progress Our objective to enhance utilisation of our marine resources within environmental and biological constraints has been addressed by undertaking research required to support implementation of ecosystem-based management (EBM) as a mechanism for managing Aotearoa New Zealand s marine environment, and supporting healthy marine ecosystems and a strong blue economy. This research has spanned multiple research disciplines. We have undertaken biophysical research needed to understand cumulative effects and tipping points in ecosystems, the flows of nutrients and energy through food webs, and the footprints of stressors in the marine environment. It includes research on how we value our marine ecosystems, the goods and services the marine environment provides to support those values, and how we quantify these goods and services. We also have undertaken research into participatory decision-making, and frameworks to bring monetary and non-monetary values into decision-making, both of which are required for EBM. Effective EBM relies on effective partnerships with Māori. To achieve this, we have taken a dual approach that enables Māori to guide and lead our research, and also to ensure we are well poised to unlock the innovation potential of Māori people, resources and knowledge. For example, we have partnered with Māori to research both the traditional and contemporary forms of kaitiakitanga relevant to the marine environment, understand the Māori marine economy, and explore the relationship between Māori lore and Aotearoa New Zealand s law in environmental decision-making. In addition, we have embedded a Vision Mātauranga approach throughout all our research programmes by enabling the engagement of Māori researchers and communities to contribute to our research focus and outcomes. Finally, we have also developed models and tools to support EBM, such as habitat suitability models and marine ecosystem models, that can be used to test management scenarios. Specific research highlights include: Novel methods for incorporating uncertainty in habitat suitability modelling; Calibration and validation of world-leading ecosystem models (Atlantis and Ecosim, with Ecopath) for Tasman and Golden Bays; State of the art platforms for collecting high-resolution oceanographic data that will underpin estimates of habitat connectivity and land-derived stressor dispersal; Conducting Aotearoa New Zealand s first national marine experiment, involving 15 estuaries and harbours from Northland to Southland, to provide new knowledge on how coastal systems respond to nutrients and sediments, factors that influence resilience; Applied novel biochemical tracking techniques to determine habitat connectivity, effects of habitat loss on fish, and how contaminants are processed by coastal foodwebs; Tools and resources specifically tailored to the needs of Māori to contribute to and use EBM in a manner consistent with their tikanga and mātauranga; Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 9

10 Valuable insights on kaitiakitanga in the marine environment, helping develop an EBM approach with a specifically Aotearoa New Zealand context; A review of participatory processes in Aotearoa New Zealand, resulting in a suite of guidelines to enhance efficiency and fit-for-purpose stakeholder engagement in EBM; Understanding of the legislative, policy, economic, social and cultural opportunities and constraints that presently exist for successful implementation of EBM; Identifying a significant number of largely hidden blue economy initiatives in Aotearoa New Zealand. 2.2 Challenges met Sustainable Seas has met and overcome a number of challenges. These include building interdisciplinary teams, conducting interdisciplinary research, integrating research knowledge and data across the Challenge, having strong and effective engagement with Māori, and ensuring our research has impact. Building teams and integrating research Building interdisciplinary and integrated research projects and assembling the research teams to address them has been a prominent challenge. We needed to increase the number of social scientists, lawyers and Māori researchers in our project teams to achieve this, and ensure the integration of data and knowledge between projects. We actively met this challenge by: Directly seeking social scientists, including economists, by holding a workshop to highlight opportunities, so building confidence in the Challenge within the social science community; Funding Māori-led or partnered research to address the more direct needs and aspirations of Māori communities, as well as developing Māori capability to take a more active role in Sustainable Seas research; Creating a forum for Māori researchers to provide feedback about what works well and what could be improved resulting in an internal network that provides ongoing peer support, particularly for Māori early career researchers; Actively supporting the inclusion of 49 early career researchers; Building cohesive interdisciplinary teams of researchers from 37 organisations; Broadening the discipline breath of the Science Leadership Team to include social science, and communications and outreach; Building our Challenge community to facilitate integration of data, results and ideas by (a) focusing our inaugural conference on improving interaction, knowledge sharing and collaboration across projects and programmes, (b) holding two workshops for project leaders, (c) initiating an internal update process for all researchers, (d) sharing research highlights in our newsletter, and (e) developing an online team space that all researchers can access; Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 10

11 Having some researchers work across multiple projects and programmes these have been key facilitators in integrating research across Sustainable Seas. 2.3 Engagement We have a multifaceted approach to engaging with Māori, by providing for Māori-led or partnered research through our Tangaroa programme, and actively involving and supporting Māori researchers through our Vision Mātauranga programme. In addition, we appointed advisors to support the Challenges engagement with Māori communities and organisations. This has achieved a high level of inclusion, incorporation and recognition of Māori aspirations and needs. Furthermore, the Vision Mātauranga Policy is embedded across all the programmes with more than 49 Māori researchers involved in 24 (of 38) projects supporting the inclusion and incorporation of mātauranga Māori. EBM requires strong Māori and stakeholder involvement and we have employed diverse methods to achieve this. At the highest level, we have Board members representing management agencies, marine businesses, iwi organisations, and science and research capabilities. We have a Kāhui Māori that provides critical review of proposals, advice on our research and implementation of the Vision Mātauranga Policy, and our engagement with Māori. We also have a well-established Stakeholder Panel which provides direct access, involvement and scrutiny from representatives of regional and central government, marine industries, NGOs, community groups, and youth. Each research programme also has a Technical Advisory Group made up of stakeholder technical specialists. These groups have provided significant input into our research projects. The input from our Board, Kāhui Māori, Stakeholder Panel and Technical Advisory Groups ensures that Sustainable Seas is aware of, and can respond to, important and national scale issues. Many projects also have affiliated Māori and stakeholder team members who act both in an advisory capacity and partner or participate directly in project activities, including developing research plans. To support effective engagement with the wider Māori and stakeholder communities, we developed complementary Māori and Stakeholder engagement plans and a Communications and Outreach Strategy. We supported these plans by: Appointing two part-time iwi engagement advisors to develop and manage iwi relationships with Māori, and provide support for researchers and Māori preparing project proposals; Appointing a Senior Communication Advisor to develop and deliver a Communications and Outreach Strategy; Developing an Engagement Strategy that prioritises outreach and engagement activities with key stakeholders. These Communications and Engagement strategies complement the Māori Engagement Strategy. Examples of our active engagement with Māori and stakeholders include: He Poutokomanawa a project led by a Māori organisation representing three iwi and two Māori organisations in the case study area of Tasman and Golden Bays (Figure 2) to reestablish a kaitiakitanga context to marine management in this area; Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 11

12 Denitrification workshop attended denitrification experts from four universities and NIWA and environmental science managers from Regional Councils, that listed the underlying processes affecting denitrification rates, and identified critical information gaps; The Unseen art-science-community project 1,500 primary and secondary pupils from 14 schools in Tasman, Marlborough, Wellington in workshops jointly led by an artist and a marine scientist, followed by two community workshops, to explore perceptions of risk and uncertainty in the marine environment; Tāhuhu Matatau Te Ao o Tangaroa a project led by Manaaki Te Awanui in partnership with iwi and hapū organisations in Tauranga Moana to develop a platform of information and tools specifically tailored to Māori to support the implementation and practice of EBM; A workshop discussing cumulative effects resulted in a new project, Navigating Cumulative Effects with 14 organisations (representing central and regional government, industry, research, Māori business, private consultancies, and universities tackling one of the most urgent and complex problems facing our coastal and marine ecosystems; Learning what EBM would look like case study project in Tasman and Golden Bays is being co-developed with Māori, Tasman District and Nelson City councils, and a wider group of stakeholders. Figure 2: The 'focal area' and 'case study area' for Phase I research Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 12

13 2.4 Research quality and impact High quality research has been ensured within Sustainable Seas by having all proposals for individual projects externally peer reviewed for science quality, and reviewed by the Kāhui Māori and Stakeholder Panel to ensure relevance and appropriateness. We also had a review of our research by our Independent Science Panel (ISP), who attended our annual conference. The ISP s feedback was very positive and identified some areas for improvement, which we have addressed in this strategy. Our strong relationships with Māori and stakeholders have led to our research having direct impact. For example, we have worked with Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) staff and the associated Technical Advisory Group to the Minister to support the embedding of EBM in the Future of our Fisheries review, and provided input into the Primary Sector and Environment Research Roadmaps. We also have recently been invited to speak at the central government marine hub meeting, which provides a forum for discussion of cross-ministry marine policy issues in Aotearoa New Zealand. Industry also is using our findings. For example, Aquaculture NZ has referenced our research in its submissions to Regional Councils to recognise ocean acidification as an issue in their coastal plans and policies, including the Marlborough Environment Plan. 3. Future strategy 3.1 What does success look like? Our objective is: To enhance utilisation of our marine resources within environmental and biological constraints. EBM is participatory, so we have considered what success looks like not just in terms of the Challenge, but equally importantly from the perspective of Māori and stakeholders. We held 13 workshops in October November 2017 to ensure we properly identified and incorporated Māori and stakeholders views and aspirations in this strategy. Workshops were held for Māori, Ministry for the Environment (MfE), MPI, Department of Conservation (DOC), Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), Regional Councils, environmental NGOs, community groups, and oil and gas, marine mining, aquaculture, fisheries, and tourism sectors. Where Māori and stakeholders were unable to attend workshops, we held individual meetings with representatives or organisations. The results of those discussions are summarised as follows What does success look like for society? EBM becomes the accepted approach for marine management. Healthy, resilient and diverse ecosystems for future generations. Society is engaged and knows how, and is able, to participate in decision-making. Māori and stakeholders have shared responsibility for ensuring ecosystem health. Marine resource use is sustainable. Marine ecosystems are protected. Strong national and regional marine economies. New Zealanders have trust and confidence in our marine management. Aotearoa New Zealand is better able to meet its international obligations. Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 13

14 3.1.2 What does success look like for Māori and stakeholders? Marine management is evidence-based and timely. Conflict is reduced in marine management decision-making. Embodiment of a Māori cultural context (i.e., tikanga and mātauranga Māori) in our relationship to, and governance and management of, the Aotearoa New Zealand marine estate. Management approaches are consistent and integrated with land management. Decision-making processes are transparent. Practical tools and effective policies for EBM that are accepted/used by Māori and stakeholders. A management regime that supports acknowledged rights and interests, including Treaty of Waitangi rights (for example customary fishing rights of Māori and the allocation of fishing quota to Māori interests). Inclusive approach to all interest groups values. Management is adaptive and accounts for uncertainty What does success look like for Sustainable Seas? Sustainable Seas research is incorporated into policy. Māori and stakeholders are engaged with Sustainable Seas i.e., involved in our research and/or using our tools and knowledge, and continue to implement EBM and blue economy initiatives beyond Proof of concept of EBM is successfully demonstrated. EBM trials will be complete and have been refined through case studies by 2024, whilst demonstrating a clear pathway for developing Aotearoa New Zealand s blue economy. It is also essential that we leave a legacy of engaged, networked communities that continue to develop and implement blue economy initiatives and EBM for Aotearoa New Zealand after the Challenge ends. Sustainable Seas will contribute to achieving the outcomes above through the five-year strategy for science, research and associated activities outlined below. 4. Five-year strategy 4.1 Developing the strategy The strategy is consistent with and builds on the original Research and Business Plan for Sustainable Seas and draws together input from a wide range of sources. These include: Research completed to date; Māori and stakeholder input to Phase I research projects; Specific Phase II planning workshops and meetings held with Māori, key central government ministries (MPI, MfE, DOC, EPA), Regional Councils, marine industries (oil and gas, fishing, aquaculture, tourism, mining), NGOs, and community groups, including youth; Our Board, Kāhui Māori, Stakeholder Panel and the individual programme Technical Advisory Groups. Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 14

15 The draft strategy was developed by the Science Leadership Team, and was made available for consultation with and input from the above groups, broader research community and our Independent Science Panel. This section to be completed once process is complete. 4.2 Introduction Our vision for Sustainable Seas is: New Zealand has healthy marine ecosystems that provide value for all New Zealanders. Healthy marine ecosystems are: underpinned by strong ecological functioning, robust and biodiverse, valued by multiple sectors, and support a vibrant society. Our objective is: to enhance utilisation of our marine resources within environmental and biological constraints. The best way to achieve this vision and objective is by establishing an ecosystem-based management (EBM) approach specific to Aotearoa New Zealand s unique needs and aspirations (Figure 1). EBM is a holistic, inclusive and place-based approach to marine management that creates a strong link between healthy functioning ecosystems and a thriving blue economy that accounts for the effects and values of multiple users and uses (including non-monetary values). A blue economy is one that works innovatively to enhance the capabilities of local people to work with the dynamics of marine ecosystems to generate livelihoods and healthy communities while maintaining ecological functioning. It is a resilient and healthy economy as a result of economic activity being in balance with (i) social and cultural values and interests and (ii) the long-term capacity of marine ecosystems. The blue economy requires recognising all dimensions and beneficiaries of the marine economy, all values that marine environments currently produce, and the open-ended potential of those environments to create as yet unrecognised value. This new vision of marine economy is increasingly expected by Aotearoa New Zealand s key global economic and political partners such as the European Union and the World Bank. It also resonates closely with a kaitiakitanga based approach to EBM and the Māori economy, and other initiatives currently taking place in Aotearoa. Sustainable Seas envisages healthy ecosystems, which are the basis of a blue economy that in turn contributes to maintaining healthy ecosystems, and EBM as a mechanism to achieve and maintain both (Figure 3). Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 15

16 Figure 3: Relationship between healthy ecosystems, the blue economy and ecosystem-based management (EBM) Aotearoa New Zealand currently is challenged by needing to manage marine resources, ecological functioning, and social and cultural well-being within a naturally dynamic and multi-use system that will be increasingly will be affected by climate change. Knowledge of how human activities affect ecological functioning, social and cultural values, economic activity, and society is scarce or highly uncertain. Local communities increasingly perceive their marine ecosystems as degraded and want action to prevent further degradation or to allow systems to recover. We will build on the research in Phase I with a strategy that will create an interdisciplinary/ transdisciplinary portfolio of research, science, technology and actions to meet these needs. Our research will focus on four themes that address a range of topics identified by Māori, stakeholders and scientists that collectively will contribute toward the implementation of EBM (Figure 4). These themes are: Degradation and recovery in multi-use systems; Creating value from a blue economy; Risk and uncertainty; and Enabling EBM. Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 16

17 Figure 4: The relationship between the Phase II research themes and ecosystem-based management (EBM) We recognise that establishing an EBM framework specific to the needs and aspirations of Aotearoa New Zealand requires specific recognition and of the Treaty partnership and the incorporation of a mātauranga Māori knowledge-based approach to EBM. Achieving this requires research that is centred in a Māori worldview so we have retained the cross-cutting Tangaroa research programme from Phase I. The relationship of Tangaroa to the new themes reflects both the unique position of Māori as Treaty partners, and the requirement to provide effectively for Māori-led approaches (Figure 4). The themes will feed into, and be informed by, Tangaroa research that addresses relevant Māori research priorities and a partnership process where appropriate. This integration will be further enhanced by a VM approach that supports a range of mechanisms involving Māori researchers in project development within themes, sharing research personnel, appropriate use of mātauranga Māori, and formalising information and output sharing tools across projects. Problems involving human-environment interactions (such as those addressed by Sustainable Seas) must accommodate processes of co-design and co-production of knowledge with Māori and stakeholders as well as interdisciplinary perspectives and skill sets. We will transition to the themes in Phase II by building on connections made in Phase I across Māori and stakeholders, research groups and international research programmes, to sharpen the focus of research to questions. Best teams for some of the key questions in Phase II will consist of researchers from many disciplines ensuring integration, international connectedness through researcher to researcher collaborations, Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 17

18 and tighter alignment with international research programmes to deliver best practice to New Zealand. The proposed themes provide focus and integration of research approaches to contribute to the objective, and address the key challenges, priorities and opportunities identified in Phase I and by Māori and stakeholders during the strategy consultation workshops for Phase II. All four themes represent critical building blocks to achieving EBM and they also are priority issues at local, regional and national scales. They support new work required to enable the development of a blue economy, and extend Phase I research to understand Degradation and recovery in multi-use ecosystems (through understanding of recovery pathways) and tackle Risk and uncertainty. Establishing Enabling EBM as a separate theme acknowledges the significant effort required to integrate research across the multiple themes, which in turn will enable incorporation of the diverse knowledge generated and application of the many lessons and tools to real-world EBM. The capability developed and research underway in the Phase I programmes can be mapped to the four themes (Figure 5). Figure 5: How the Phase I research programmes map into the Phase II themes All four themes are internationally recognised and prioritised areas of research, creating opportunities to showcase Sustainable Seas as cutting edge science on the global stage and supporting ongoing and new international collaborations. Applying Vision Mātauranga across the areas of research, as well as the integration of Māori-led approaches through Tangaroa also provide opportunities to contribute to the body of international indigenous environmental research and policy development. Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 18

19 The concepts of healthy marine ecosystems and a vibrant blue economy supported by EBM provide a collective focus and framing for the research portfolio, underpin all research themes and projects, and directly address the Sustainable Seas objective. 4.3 Research Themes Theme 1: Degradation and recovery in multi-use ecosystems Marine ecosystems are influenced by many interacting stressors resulting from environmental, economic, and/or social changes that often overlap in space and time. This complexity represents today s reality, and the ability to assess the cumulative degradation resulting from human activities (including climate change) and natural stressors on Aotearoa New Zealand s marine ecosystems is a key component of EBM. Cumulative effects of multiple stressors challenge our ability to set appropriate targets for resource use that will maintain or allow recovery of ecological function in degraded systems, and increase or decrease the risk of environmental, economic, cultural or social collapse. Current practice typically manages for single stressors or single sectors, but interactions among stressors often generate adverse effects at thresholds well below those anticipated for single stressors. Similarly, impact assessments often are focused around a project or development and are reactive rather than forward-looking, overlooking the prospective combined effects of multiple projects on the environment. Fundamental questions about managing ongoing and new activities demand answers for EBM. Some important questions include: how much additional activity can be accommodated before a tipping point is passed; how resilient an ecosystem is to the addition of another stressor(s) with uncertain impacts; can a reduction in stressors improve ecological function and how much does this vary with location-specific characteristics (e.g., habitat connectivity and the status of an already impacted seascape); how can a reduction in stressors aid ecosystem recovery; and what are the lags in response to reductions of stressors. We also must understand relationships between ecological functioning and cultural and social systems and values. This should include better consideration of effects relevant to a mātauranga and tikanga Māori context, which are not confined by jurisdictional and ecological boundaries; the management of trade-offs in making investment decisions to better support Māori economic development; and improving our understanding and incorporation of indirect effects from a society and cultural perspective (i.e., to mauri, the survival and transmission of mātauranga Māori, and the role of Māori as kaitiaki) in management and decision-making. A greater understanding of cumulative effects on marine ecosystems and how they can be managed to recover ecological function and values was consistently highlighted at stakeholder workshops. It was recognised that many stressors originate in the marine area (e.g., ocean acidification, fishing, mining), but stakeholders also emphasised a mountains to the sea approach to incorporate the impacts of land-based stressors, such as sediment and nutrient inputs from forestry, farming and urban discharges. This point was a feature of our discussions with Māori who manage and maintain rights and interests across landscape boundaries (i.e., farming, forestry and fisheries). Many stakeholders also recognised challenges in linking science and policy, and in deriving minimum Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 19

20 thresholds for sediment and nutrient impacts, and challenges in translating stressor impacts across spatial and temporal scales to inform these management thresholds. This theme will extend the excellent platform of research developed in Phase I. It requires considerable development of social, cultural and ecological theory, and cutting-edge models and tools to assess cumulative effects. For example, physical-ecological research must generate new methods to gain knowledge of connectivity between ecosystems quickly and cost effectively. Predicting pathways of ecological change requires innovative models that incorporate multiple spatial and temporal scales of degradation and recovery and can determine the degree of change in ecological function required to achieve desired outcomes. It is essential we advance our ability to predict whether thresholds or tipping points will occur in the degradation pathway and whether recovery pathways will lag behind the physical changes made. New complex system models with locations-specific features will be necessary to link ecological function and society across different knowledge systems to enable the prediction of the effect of location-specific environmental, ecological, societal and cultural characteristics. Extended research on links between ecosystem functions, services and human values also will be needed. Question and sub-questions What are the knowledge and processes needed to predict and manage the effects of multiple activities on marine ecosystems and the values they provide Aotearoa New Zealand? 1. What governs the spatial and temporal dynamics of cumulative effects from multiple activities? 2. How do ecological, social, cultural and economic contexts facilitate or inhibit tipping points and recovery occurring? 3. How do we assess degradation or recovery from cumulative effects on non-monetary values (including mauri, ecosystem services and taonga species)? 4. How do we enhance complementarity between mātauranga Māori, local kaitiakitanga experience and science to halt degradation and promote recovery? 5. What is required to link assessment of cumulative effects on the marine environment to management responses to prevent dramatic change to values? Theme 2: Creating value from a blue economy Sustaining healthy ecosystems requires an economy that uses and stewards Aotearoa New Zealand s marine resources in novel ways. Māori and stakeholders agree that new approaches to economy are needed to ensure the best possible outcomes in terms of healthy ecosystems, diverse values, and a robust, high-quality economy. This theme focuses on the research necessary to stimulate and grow a blue economy, and to develop EBM that supports investment by providing greater stability and consistency in environmental management. A successful blue economy must be built on innovation in investment, production and market-making; trust and clarity in decision-making processes; regulatory consistency and predictable operating environments; strong provenance and credence values associated with sustainable practices and the environmental values of origin; and responsible business practice. Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 20

21 It will provide strong returns and meaningful local jobs, and contribute directly to healthy ecosystems and communities. Fostering a blue economy requires new knowledge of the ecological possibilities and capacities under which resources might be used in innovation, how different activities in a blue economy work together, and the management and governance techniques necessary to encourage enhanced growth. Research under the blue economy theme will build on Phase I research, which identified the diverse range of values generated by marine resources and the diversity of economic practices and organisations generating financial values from them. Māori and stakeholders have emphasised the value of ensuring this diversity is recognised in management, but suggested that more attention be directed to future possibilities and to demonstrating the values of innovative practices consistent with EBM. They have called for further research focused on identifying and measuring the blue economy, and how present and future economic practices might be delivering or degrading different economic, cultural and environmental values. Phase I research in highlighted that resource utilisation is not the same thing as economic growth per se, and not all investments and economies will contribute in the same way to a blue economy. A greater range of fit-for-purpose measures of economic performance and strategies that encourage investment need to be developed to identify and encourage blue economy activities. These measures and strategies will be required at a variety of scales, from local or sector-based through to national. A blue economy is one that seeks to realise multi-generational economic, social, cultural and ecological sustainability and as such resonates well with Māori. Certainly, Māori participation and partnership in developing the blue economy will be crucial. While in recent decades Māori commercial economy in the marine environment largely has been focused on developing tradable rights in fisheries but increasingly Māori investment in sustainable use of resources is aligning traditional Māori values with a focus on the credence and provenance attributes of the products. Supporting Māori to expand their commercial interests in the marine economy beyond fisheries is one component of this theme, but equally important is integrating kaitiakitanga perspectives into a diverse New Zealand blue economy. Research will focus tightly on identifying and cultivating, blue economy values. It will generate findings that support enhanced valuation of the marine economy and reduced compliance costs. Methods to identify and encourage new opportunities for Māori and small operators to enter the economy, including identifying and fostering an understanding of collective forms of investment. This research also will identify economic concerns and risks in EBM and an economy that provides transparent and inclusive forms of community engagement in governance and management of ocean resources. This approach to economic development is novel in the Aotearoa New Zealand and global contexts, but is increasingly expected and recognised as important for navigating pathways to better local and global futures. Question and sub-questions How do we build a successful blue economy that realises multi-generational economic, social, cultural and ecological sustainability? 1. What strategies can be developed to encourage investment in, and promotion of, regional, Māori and community blue economies? 2. How do we measure the performance of the blue economy (including ecosystem services, mitigation, decreasing uncertainty around risks) at national, regional, and sectoral levels? Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 21

22 3. What are the connections among different economic activities and their impacts on marine ecosystem function and associated values? 4. How can we build a blue economy based on kaitiakitanga principles what are the benefits, costs and opportunities for Māori and Aotearoa New Zealand? 5. What management tools can be used to foster a blue economy through EBM (e.g., ecological methods of processing aquaculture waste, ecologically advantageous commissioning and decommissioning strategies for oil and gas development marine spatial planning, marine protected areas, taiapure)? Theme 3: Risk and uncertainty The ability to assess risks associated with activities is necessary for any management regime, whether managing the economy, a business or the environment. Having robust methods to understand both uncertainties per se and the effects of those uncertainties increases exponentially in importance when managing multiple uses that may might interact. This is particularly true for EBM of the marine environment where ocean mixing can link the effects of activities over many scales. Any assessment of risk is accompanied by uncertainty. The level of uncertainty in marine systems often is very high, mainly due to difficulties in collecting knowledge of what is out there (baseline information), and in understanding how ecological functioning responds to stressors and environmental variability, including climate change. Indirect and cultural risks frequently are not accounted for within a contemporary science or business framework, but are highlighted regularly in resource management decision-making. Risks arising from within a mātauranga Māori context are extremely difficult to navigate using standard risk management strategies. There also are differences in risk assessment methods used by business and environmental scientists, and potentially between how business and the public perceive and respond to social and ecological risks. Environmental decision makers frequently find themselves caught between these different methods and perceptions. Project interactions and recent Māori and stakeholder workshops have communicated clearly the need for greater understanding of risk and uncertainty, and for tools to demonstrate and explain these. Methods that can predict ecological, social, cultural and economic risks associated with multiple activities accumulating over space and time are valued particularly. Uncertainty in the decision-making process has also been highlighted as contributing to environmental, social, cultural and business risks. It is important to understand the differences and similarities in how risks and uncertainties are perceived and responded to by different sectors of society. How businesses perceive economic risk (to investment and capital) may prove to be a deterrent to uptake of blue economy ideas, but conversely the development of blue economy accounting may provide investment certainty and incentive. The Risk and uncertainty theme will support the development of new theories, models and tools that will underlie a framework that incorporates assessment of cumulative and indirect effects from multiple stressors within the dynamic context imposed by climate change. These models also need to integrate the spatial footprint of the response (rather than the stressor or the activity generating the stressor) and risks to multiple ecosystem components or values. Finally, tools need to communicate simply the degree of uncertainty associated with specific aspects of the risk predictions. Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 22

23 For social and Māori scientists, research is needed on how best to communicate these risks, and develop the capability of people to understand problems posed by uncertainties at different points in the risk assessment process. Developing new socio-ecological models will allow integration of ecological, social, cultural and economic risks, based on information on the different perceptions of risk and uncertainty held by Māori, business, investors, policy makers, environmental managers, and local communities. Question and sub-questions How do we estimate risk and uncertainty associated with environmental variability and effects of human activities on ecological function, social and cultural values, and the blue economy? 1. How can we assess risks associated with multiple stressors accumulating over space and time? 2. What is necessary in a decision making framework to enable risk and uncertainty, defined in mātauranga Māori terms, to be adequately assessed? 3. How do we develop tools that allow for different perceptions of risk and the consequences of uncertainty for ecological function, social and cultural values and business? 4. Does standard business assessment of risk to investment translate easily into blue economy thinking? 5. How does uncertainty in decision-making processes contribute to environmental, social, cultural and business risks? Theme 4: Enabling EBM Achieving EBM will require institutional and regulatory arrangements tailored specifically to the Aotearoa New Zealand context, along with a widespread understanding of what EBM involves, and adoption of EBM-supportive practices. This requires sound scientific knowledge and mātauranga Māori on: the state of the environment at multiple scales, key drivers of ecological function, interactions between communities and ecological function, current extractive rights, and the incorporation of this information into policy and management. This theme focuses on strengthening institutional arrangements and practices to support EBM at multiple scales, from local to oceanic. This includes finding ways to incorporate different values, worldviews, extractive rights and knowledge into policy and management frameworks to support the sustainable use of resources within ecological limits, through robust and efficient decisionmaking. EBM will look different depending on the scale, location, ecosystem involved and the values that people hold. Some aspects of EBM may need to be generic at larger scales (e.g., underpinning legislation, institutional roles), while some aspects may be distinctively different at smaller scales depending on the place, its characteristics, and local community priorities. This requires understanding the scales at which resource use occurs, local people relate to their environment, social networks form, ecological systems function, key species interact with habitats, and management operates. Determining the most appropriate mix of generic and distinctive solutions will involve examining the social, cultural and ecological interactions occurring across spatial and temporal scales, and developing approaches to integrate these different scales in EBM. Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 23

24 Phase I research investigated how national policy and legislative directives influencing management and practices at national and subnational scales could currently enable EBM in practice, and options for changes to either policy or its implementation that might enhance EBM. We will build on this by generating new knowledge about how to address processes such as the environmental, cultural and social impacts of global change, as well as processes that occur across a range of temporal scales. By drawing on research generated elsewhere in the Challenge regarding cumulative effects, tipping points, ecosystem degradation and recovery, we will identify strategies for ensuring EBM is adaptive to social and ecological changes, including changes in the types of activities undertaken in the marine domain and new rights that emerge. This knowledge will inform management and research investment strategies by central and regional government in support of EBM, maximise benefits and reduce costs through facilitating coordination and knowledge exchange, and result in clear pathways to implementing EBM. Research that identifies pathways for realising a workable model (or models) of EBM and tools to support implementation and monitoring that provide for Māori values and knowledge is also essential to success. Finding ways to establish and operationalise a regime that enables mātauranga Māori to inform decision making and management that ensures Treaty rights and responsibilities are afforded Māori will be necessary. This includes finding ways to improve the policy environment to provide greater certainty in decision making for Māori, stakeholders to reduce conflict, build trust, and encourage new forms of investment. The ability to pursue diverse economic activities and generate value from the blue economy provides opportunities to strengthen regional and national economies and stimulate quality employment opportunities. These opportunities, however, rely on enabling conditions to support economic innovation. We will seek to identify the social, ecological, cultural and economic elements and institutional arrangements necessary to support diverse economic activities within an EBM regime. We will consider the ways in which EBM can strengthen partnerships among Māori, government agencies, communities and industry in setting policy and undertaking management. Question and sub-questions What actions are required to enable the implementation of EBM in Aotearoa New Zealand? 1. What governance, institutional and regulatory changes could enable widespread uptake of EBM in multiple contexts and scales? 2. What approaches to implementing EBM can maximise benefits and minimise costs? 3. At what scales do ecological function, society and cultural expectations, and management practices operate, and what is needed to integrate these different scales in EBM? 4. What approaches, tools and models best support EBM implementation among Māori and stakeholders? 5. How can EBM incorporate existing rights and interests, especially of Māori? 6. What are the key features of EBM that will enable the blue economy? Tangaroa In Aotearoa New Zealand, Māori maintain a unique and longstanding connection with the ocean that continues to permeate aspects of Māori life, including cultural, spiritual, practical and economic. This connection is recognised through specific rights and interests as Treaty of Waitangi (Treaty) Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 24

25 partners. Tangaroa in Phase II provides a mechanism for Sustainable Seas to contribute to addressing the specific aspirations and needs of Māori, where they align with the Challenge objective, and to do this in a manner consistent with Treaty principles. It places Māori at the centre of its research, and aims to promote and support Māori-led or partnered projects to enable direct benefits to those iwi, hapū or commercial groups involved. Tangaroa in Phase I focused on research that sought to improve our understanding of: The historical and contemporary knowledge and practice of kaitiakitanga relating to the marine environment; The availability and accessibility of existing resources to support iwi decision-making and planning; The nature of the Māori marine economy; and Enablers and barriers to greater Māori relevance and involvement in policy, governance and marine management frameworks and decision-making. These features will all be important to establishing an EBM and blue economy framework and relationship that works in our unique cultural and Treaty context. The focus of Tangaroa research in Phase II has been informed by our interactions with Māori during Phase I as well as workshops and discussions in planning for Phase II. Specific research questions are identified within each theme that reflect key issues and priorities identified by Māori and build upon work undertaken in Phase I (noted above). These include: Using science and mātauranga Māori to address the aspirations of Māori in halting ecosystem degradation and supporting improved ecosystem recovery; Building a blue economy founded on kaitiakitanga perspectives to encourage investment and vibrancy; Understanding the needs of Māori in achieving a marine decision-making and management framework that addresses risks and uncertainty within a Māori cultural and commercial context; and Ensuring the development and implementation of an EBM framework that is informed by mātauranga Māori and recognises Māori rights and interests through greater partnership. Project proposals will be co-designed and developed between Māori researchers and Māori partners with capacity, capability and experience of relevance to the areas of research focus. This will include extending existing research partnerships with Māori, as well as exploring a greater offshore, customary management, and commercial focus. The themes will feed into, and be informed by, Tangaroa as it provides a visible recognition of the Treaty partnership and cultural relationship of Māori to the marine environment. It also enables us to leverage off the valuable cohort of Māori researchers and the relationships established with Māori groups and organisations in Phase I Vision Mātauranga The Vision Mātauranga programme within Sustainable Seas will continue to provide oversight, support and active guidance to science leaders and researchers. The focus is therefore to ensure projects are supported so that the potential to unlock Māori relevant science, knowledge and innovation is maximised. The primary method of delivery for Vision Mātauranga is for the Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 25

26 Programme Leader to collaborate with each Theme Leader and project team(s) to identify criteria, measures and outcomes for Māori. In addition, the Vision Mātauranga Leader will assist in ensuring the right balance and mixture of interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary approaches to support their achievement. This approach differs from that outlined in Tangaroa research which places Māori at its centre. Instead Vision Mātauranga looks more broadly across the Challenge to support any project within each of the four themes that has science and innovation potential to ensure specific benefit to Māori. For example: Degradation and recovery in multi-use ecosystems the Vision Mātauranga thread will ensure this research recognises a holistic, interconnected and multi-faceted approach in management and decision-making; Creating value from a blue economy a key aspect of the research will require new and innovative approaches to managing, growing and measuring the blue economy, aligned with the goals of He Kai Kei Aku Ringa, the Māori Economic Strategy; Risk and uncertainty as well as better understanding Māori concepts of risk, Sustainable Seas will explore Māori community experiences in navigating multiple legislative arrangements for resource management, and the lack of certainty around agency responsibility in the coastal marine environment (as highlighted in Motiti Rohe Moana Trust v Bay of Plenty Regional Council); and Enabling EBM Vision Mātauranga will ensure projects are well supported with mechanisms and guidance, and to ensure there are opportunities for Māori to be engaged actively as leaders and partners in discussions, projects and case studies. To have a structured approach in giving effect to Vision Mātauranga within Sustainable Seas, the Vision Mātauranga Implementation Plan from Phase I will be updated. Phase II will continue to develop Vision Mātauranga capacity and capability within Sustainable Seas and Māori communities, to support improved partnership and participation in our research. To achieve this, we will work with and commission specialists in kaupapa Māori and Māori-centred research, and mātauranga Māori and science interaction, to support skill development in research areas and projects that have the potential to unlock the science and innovation of Māori. The Vision Mātauranga Leader will assist in identifying and securing the involvement of such capability, but their involvement in specific projects will be funded by the projects. The Implementation Plan also acknowledges that, although the mission of Vision Mātauranga is to unlock the science and innovation potential of Māori knowledge, resources and people to assist New Zealanders to create a better future, the engagement with Māori communities is an important requirement. The plan outlines Challenge-wide measures to build Māori communities trust and confidence in our science and research (and the respective methods of the research disciplines), whilst also aligning with Māori economic strategy He Kai Kei Aku Ringa, and the writings of leading Māori academics and tohunga. To support this, we will be proactive in taking our research to Māori communities through wānanga organised in settings local to our research. This is a more familiar and appropriate forum for Māori communities to engage with researchers and contribute towards raising awareness and uptake of Sustainable Seas research. Additionally, we will take an active approach to supporting Māori educational achievement by providing scholarship opportunities and a programme of internship and mentoring to support Māori learners and practitioners. Our overall intention is to achieve in various capacities the unlocking of Māori knowledge, people and its resources through the development of our researchers, and in a manner and pace Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 26

27 comfortable to Māori communities who perform roles as kaitiaki and/or as iwi organisations seeking to build its commercial capacity Linking across themes The themes are closely linked to each other at a high level, each theme drawing on knowledge produced in each of the other themes. The sub-questions in each theme address major areas of linkage, both between themes and with Tangaroa. Degradation and recovery in multi-use ecosystems addresses ecosystem health and how socioecological systems interact to impact on ecological functioning. This theme requires knowledge on the science needs of innovation and how blue economy connects to ecological functioning (Creating value from a blue economy); how risks accumulate, and how the uncertainties they produce might be handled (Risk and uncertainty); and temporal and spatial scales of management (Enabling EBM). We also will develop specific projects to research the key science questions that span these links. We will, for example, examine the science needs of enterprises and the impacts of Creating value from a blue economy activities on other values, develop risk assessment methods that connect the risks faced by enterprises to environmental uncertainty, and incorporate different spatial and temporal scales and different knowledge systems, including mātauranga Māori. Creating value from a blue economy binds the other themes to deliver the Challenge objective. A successful EBM-based blue economy will mean in the medium- to long-term that there are no tradeoffs to be had between prosperous economies, healthy ecosystems and inclusive communities. A successful blue economy will rely on healthy ecosystems that yield sustainable high quality marine resources and production practices; and on successful management that is borne from and encourages public acceptance and engagement, balances inconsistent values and competing interests, and fashions new shared values that recognise shifting market opportunities and investor commitments. Māori values, rights, economy and knowledge must be a central concern. This relies on a deep understanding of the potential of marine ecosystems and what is necessary to sustain them. This theme will need to draw on ecological science from Degradation and recovery in multi-use ecosystems to examine innovation possibilities, ecosystem services, and the temporal and spatial scales of impacts on ecological functioning. It will need to understand the risk regimes that are deployed to manage the uncertainties within which the blue economy must operate (Risk and uncertainty); pay close attention to Māori economy and accommodate Māori knowledge and interests; and develop ways to support diverse investment opportunities and reconcile existing and new rights (Enabling EBM). Risk and uncertainty will draw directly on information from research conducted in the Degradation and recovery in multi-use ecosystems theme on ecological functioning and how it responds to different stressors and the uncertainty associated with these responses. Its work will draw on knowledge from the Creating value from a blue economy theme on the nature of blue economy activities and how blue economy enterprises consider uncertainty and assess and respond to risk. The risk assessment models produced by Risk and uncertainty will in turn inform the development of EBM and respond to its demands for knowledge of how uncertainty feeds into decisions around adaptive management, including for indirect and culturally-based effects. The ability of business to collect data or contribute to research that decreases uncertainty around prediction of risks to socio-ecological systems is an important link across all themes. Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 27

28 Enabling EBM will draw together knowledge from the other themes. It requires information from Degradation and recovery in multi-use ecosystems on the relative impact of different stressors to inform the resolution of competition among resource users; from Creating value from a blue economy on definitions and measures of blue economy activities to create enabling conditions; and from Risk and uncertainty on relative risks and uncertainties at different stages in EBM processes to build confidence in decision-making. Research under the Risk and uncertainty theme will be pivotal not only to the design of effective EBM, but also will be necessary to address questions of scale in implementing EBM. Enabling EBM and Risk and uncertainty will co-design specific research questions to produce models and tools for risk assessment in applying EBM in practice Building on past projects All the themes build on Phase I research programmes and projects (Figure 5). Degradation and Recovery in multi-use ecosystems builds on, extends and integrates Phase I research from Dynamic Seas, Tangaroa, Valuable Seas, Our Seas and Managed Seas. For example, the Tipping Points project included a national tipping point experiment focusing on nutrient and sediment stressors, initial complex system models of ecosystem dynamics, and statistical exploration of monitoring data for threshold dynamics. Initial explorations in Our Seas of societal and management perceptions of cumulative effects showed clear evidence of failures due to existing cross-sector and cross-ecosystem structure for environmental and resource management; this will be developed further. Valuable Seas projects assessing different valuation frameworks and impacts of ecosystem services are central to quantifying the loss of ecosystem services and value degradation associated with cumulative impacts. Work undertaken in Tangaroa provides a greater understanding of kaitiakitanga, and the need to restore a Māori cultural context to support reduced degradation and improved recovery that is specifically relevant to enhancing Māori well-being. Creating Value from a blue economy research from Phase I has been distilled to establish this theme s starting propositions. That research tells us that encouraging a blue economy and EBM relies on more sophisticated understandings and measurements of marine economy that demonstrates the different values generated by different elements. It also tells us that considerations of Māori economy are not only crucial in this context, but richly illustrative of the potential of an EBM-framed blue economy. Sustainable Seas will provide the knowledge necessary to to enhancing significantly the value of Aotearoa New Zealand s marine-based economies. Risk and uncertainty builds on the Phase I research investigating: risk and uncertainty associated with tipping points; a review of methods to progress management when presented with the deep uncertainty associated with extreme data limitations; understanding policy and planning limitations for dealing with cumulative effects (including cultural effects); and gathering information on societal perceptions of risk in the marine environment. It will also build on an improved understanding of kaitiakitanga in a marine context established in Phase I of the Tangaroa programme, and research to understand the application of kaitiakitanga based knowledge in decision-making. Enhancing EBM builds on the three previous cross-programme projects involving a legislative review, EBM narratives, and initial steps towards a trial of EBM in Tasman and Golden Bays. It also draws from two Tangaroa projects that examined complementarities and inhibitors to better providing for mātauranga and tikanga Māori in marine management policy and legislation; as well as the development of improved pathways for Māori leadership and participation in marine management. Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 28

29 Additionally, Tangaroa in Phase II will provide opportunities for Māori organisations and iwi/hapū beyond the Phase I case study area to benefit from greater access, partnership and participation in developing an EBM and blue economy approach that aligns with their aspirations and needs. The Phase I work to understand and provide for a kaitiakitanga context to marine management and blue economy outcomes will be extended to other areas acknowledging the place-based nature of a kaitiakitanga approach. In addition, Phase I research looking at models for improved Māori governance and management, and at enablers and inhibitors in law to applying mātauranga and tikanga Māori, will look to be extended to establish trials and develop pathways for more inclusive change. 5. Links with other Challenges and stakeholders The themes all have synergies and links with other National Science Challenges (NSCs). A clear link exists with Our Land and Water as it is developing maps of land-based inputs of sediments and nutrients to freshwater and considering regulations and policies for land-use activities. Effects on the marine domain, which is the ultimate receiving environment for land-derived contaminants, which are not being considered by Our Land and Water. This provides opportunities for collaboration on the management of land-use impacts on marine ecosystems. Also the Enabling EBM theme will need tools that link across the land-sea interface to ensure land-use effects on marine ecosystems are managed. A blue economy approach represents a potential model for developing green economies involving primary production in terrestrial settings. Biological Heritage has a terrestrial tipping points project, so cross-system comparison in approaches to studying ecosystem responses to stressors can be explored in greater detail. Biological Heritage also is likely to incorporate marine biosecurity into its scope, which has not previously been covered directly by any of the NSCs. Invasive species and their associated threats and risks are an important consideration within EBM, and as such are considered within Sustainable Seas as as one of many multiple stressors. Links with Biological Heritage and aligning with work underway by other stakeholders (e.g., MPI, Regional Councils) will assist in incorporating management of marine pests within an EBM framework. Resilience to Nature s Challenges and Deep South are studying the impacts of environmental change (e.g., flooding, sea level rise, climate) that have an important (but not necessarily manageable) influence on how marine ecosystems respond to human stressors. Both NSCs, as well as Our Land and Water, will provide information that informs the Degradation and recovery in multi-use ecosystems and Risk and uncertainty themes research. Risk and uncertainty are being investigated across the above-mentioned NSCs and sharing research approaches will be useful despite differences in underlying objectives. Challenges in managing for risk and uncertainty have surfaced in several Board of Inquiry decisions involving use of offshore resources, so our research will be applicable to the EPA and a range of marine industries. We will continue to develop links between the Science for Technological Innovation (SfTI) Challenge and our blue economy theme. SfTI s Spearhead Project Precision Farming Technologies for Aquaculture aims to develop technologies that accelerate sustainable growth of the aquaculture sector. This includes prototyping sensor arrays and communication and visualisation of data across local (bay-wide) to regional (sound-wide) scales, in turn promoting the ability to optimise aquaculture activities within an EBM framework. Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 29

30 There is also an important connection across all the environmentally-focused NSCs relevant to the application of the Vision Mātauranga Policy, and the partnership and participation of Māori and the appropriate use of mātauranga Māori. There is considerable scope to enhance these connections to provide a more integrated and appropriate approach to working with Māori that recognises the holistic mountains to the sea foundation of a Māori worldview. Central and regional government agencies involved in setting regional development agendas are a natural partner for Sustainable Seas, as we generate a set of understandings of economic potential, debates about economic futures, and contribute directly to emerging government interests in financial-plus accounting of economic change. Regional Councils will continue to be an important partner to our research as they need improved mechanisms to manage coastal marine ecosystems, as highlighted in the Coastal Special Interest Group (C-SIG) research strategy. The research also will be highly relevant to central government, the seafood and other marine industries, and Māori in their economic development and role in kaitiakitanga. The transition to theme-based research organised around topics central to enabling EBM, and also of priority interest to Māori and stakeholders, will deliver an integrated research programme that establishes productive external links with stakeholders and the other NSCs. 6. Approach to research The success of our Phase I approach provides a strong foundation for Phase II. We are evolving our approach in Phase II to sharpen the focus of our research questions. We will develop more integrated research practices, strengthen our research teams and capability, better align with established research understandings, and streamline the organisation of research projects. 6.1 Research focus The new themes sharpen our research focus. The research questions provide a framework within which to develop precisely targeted research projects. The Science Leadership Team (SLT) will play an active role in focusing projects on the Challenge objective, maximise information flow across Sustainable Seas, and ensure cost-effective management. The proposed themes are recognised by Māori and stakeholder groups, for who they resonate clearly with daily and strategic concerns. They are also recognised within the research community domestically and internationally. Aligning research themes to expertise and aspirations within Aotearoa New Zealand and to international research programmes provides: a basis for building stronger teams; a stronger identity for Sustainable Seas; more focused evaluation of research; and enhanced opportunities for engagement, uptake and collaboration. Gains have been made already in terms of contributions made by researchers, Māori and stakeholder groups to refining questions through our consultation process. A second set of immediate gains are expected in identifying research projects and building the teams from the processes we outline below. The refocused research questions will continue to target the Focal Area (Figure 2), while providing opportunities to expand the geographic focus to co-develop transdisciplinary projects with other communities. Opportunities are emerging already to work with communities that are keen to embrace the Challenge objective and contribute to co-design, research implementation and realworld application of outputs. Prospective case studies will be assessed individually by the SLT, Kāhui Māori, Stakeholder Panel, and Board. Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 30

31 6.2 Integrated research Meeting the Challenge objective requires integrated research. We built strong relationships across disciplines within the research community in Phase I, and with Māori and stakeholders establishing a platform for integrated research in marine management for the first time in Aotearoa New Zealand. Phase II s theme structure is designed to build on this platform to create a globally unique programme of integrated socio-ecological research that meets the objective. Each of the themes is assembled around research questions that address specific ecological, social, economic and cultural dimensions of ecosystem health and EBM, and which address priorities identified by Māori and stakeholders. Answering these questions will require practices that incorporate different knowledge, including mātauranga Māori. We will continue to build the transdisciplinary research teams necessary to co-develop research across multiple disciplines and in partnership with Māori and stakeholders. The research in Phase I encompassed interdisciplinary dimensions that drew together insights from multiple disciplines, and transdisciplinary dimensions that involved the co-development of research with Māori and stakeholders as partners. We will enhance the transdisciplinary dimensions of the research programme in Phase II working much more closely with Māori and stakeholders in the codesign and of research projects. This raises two sets of risks. First, some research questions and the development of certain tools require specialised expertise and a tightly-focused approach associated with specific disciplines. We will ensure that we bring this expertise to questions where it is required either to contribute to research within themes, or generate knowledge that underpins links across themes. Second, transdisciplinary research can be high risk due to the multiple and often competing interests, perspectives, knowledges, and disciplines that must be assembled. We will need to manage expectations within co-design with Māori and stakeholders, retain focus on the Challenge objective and build strong research teams to mitigate this risk. To achieve this, we will build on the knowledge, relationships and teams developed in Phase I. 6.3 Best teams and research capability We assembled best research teams In Phase I from aligned disciplines. For example, Our Seas primarily undertook social research, while Dynamic Seas focused on biophysical sciences. Project teams engaged, wherever possible, with Māori and stakeholders with workshops used to bring together researchers, Māori and stakeholders. These have created strong working relationships, which have yielded high-quality outputs and provided a strong foundation for Phase II. Best teams in Phase II will be reassembled under the new theme structure, built around focused research questions. Sustainable Seas will continue to work with the understanding that best team does not automatically mean a team of people with the strongest CVs or track records. Rather, best teams will be a set of people who together will provide the best results and outcomes and supporting a transdisciplinary approach to the research. The best team approach also will create opportunities for team members to participate through specialised contributions to particular projects as needed or to join the team on a longer term basis to support the transdisciplinary approach. To maximise connections across themes and integration of the research some researchers will work across multiple themes. Best teams in transdisciplinary research will include partners from Māori and stakeholders, and transdisciplinary research integrators. Sustainable Seas will look to the future by building capability Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 31

32 to support enduring relationships. We will include emerging researchers in all major projects supporting them to develop research skills and gain experience of working in collaborative transdisciplinary teams. We will develop a strategy for early career researchers which will include a formal mentoring programme in both research practices and project leadership, and instigate a coleadership model for projects that distributes leadership roles and responsibilities. We will support graduate and PhD students wherever appropriate, as in Phase I. To support integration we will fund 2 3 postdocs to work across themes, as well as complete specific research responsibilities. Project and theme leaders will report to the Science Leadership Team on their capability building initiatives. Another focus of Phase II is building capability in Māori research, with targeted investment and scholarship opportunities for Māori researchers. Māori researchers will be included in the early development phase for all research projects to facilitate collaboration. Incorporating Tangaroa and Vision Mātauranga into the research theme structure, and the emphasis on transdisciplinary research, will ensure that Māori researchers are integrated into the heart of the Challenge. Tangaroa also will ensure that early career Māori researchers have opportunities to develop kaupapa Māori projects and will be mentored by the network of Māori researchers established in Phase I. 6.4 Project development and funding Most of the projects for Phase II will be negotiated with selected researchers, rather than by an open call for proposals, with the remaining budget reserved for a contestable Innovation and Opportunities Fund. Theme leaders, selected through a process initiated by expressions of interest, will hold workshops to provide a forum for researchers, Māori and stakeholders to determine a series of potential topics to address the questions in this strategy. This process will identify a set of best topics and may also identify a subsidiary set of topics that might be used for the Innovation and Opportunities Fund calls for proposals. The project topics will be reviewed by the Stakeholder Panel, Kāhui Māori and Independent Science Panel, who will provide advice to the Science Leadership Team (SLT) and Board. The SLT will play an active role in identifying best topics that are most likely to deliver the Challenge objective in relation to projects from other themes and Tangaroa. The SLT will invite potential project leaders to develop core project proposals to address the best topics, in negotiation with theme leaders and the SLT. The SLT will ensure the development of methods that are cost effective and that information flow between the themes is maximised. A key difference in Phase II is the introduction of a 2+3 year proposal model. Core proposals will cover five years, with researchers required to provide detailed milestones for the first 2 years. Projects will be reviewed after 2 years and subsequent levels of funding determined according to progress. This approach provides for flexibility in project duration and scale, as well as changing scope in line with the Challenge s needs. The negotiated funding model allows for science stretch and the pursuit of high risk high return science. The 2+3 proposal model is one of a suite of management level changes that will give projects the flexibility to build on successful high risk opportunities, but also to modify research plans when high risk opportunities are not successful. The Innovation and Opportunities Fund will provide further opportunities to support novel high-risk research, including those proposed by Māori and stakeholders. Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 32

33 7. Meeting the needs of Māori and stakeholders We are confident that our research portfolio aligns strongly with stakeholder needs, based on their participation in recent consultation workshops to develop this Phase II strategy, and from the engagement with resource management agencies, marine-based industries, Māori and community groups throughout Phase I of the Challenge. This research portfolio also aligns closely with high level government and industry strategies. Degradation and Recovery in multi-use ecosystems is tightly aligned with building resilience to cumulative and interacting stressors from resource use, land-based stressors, climate change and biosecurity risks, which are key components of strategic documents from both government and marine-based industries (e.g., Our Environment 2016, Business Growth Agenda 2017, Conservation and Environment Roadmap, and Regional Councils Coastal Special Interest Group (C-SIG) Research Strategy). Industries recognise the need to understand proactively their impacts on habitat degradation, water quality and ecosystem health (eg, Business Growth Agenda 2017, Aquaculture 2012, PEPANZ). This theme also supports the future-proofing of ecosystem health and resilience, and the resources that are integral in stakeholder strategies to enhance resilience and prepare for environmental, social and economic change (e.g., Our Environment 2016, Primary Sector Science Roadmap, CSIG, Conservation and Environment Science Roadmap). Creating value from a blue economy supports references to development of a blue economy, which appear throughout government and industry strategies in various ways from adding value and achieving greater profitability across the supply chain, to greater diversity of high quality products and services and diversified and multifunctional complex systems (Primary Sector Science Roadmap, Business Growth Agenda 2017, Aquaculture 2012). Aspects that were highlighted particularly include: Increasing economic resilience, including through diversification (e.g., PEPANZ with respect to energy security, Business Growth Agenda 2017, Aquaculture 2017); and Dependence of the blue economy on efficient governance systems with respect to the regulatory environment and efficient, fair allocation processes, sound governance, and coordination between industry and central and local government (e.g., Aquaculture 2012, PEPANZ, Business Growth Agenda 2017). The Regional Councils C-SIG Research Strategy specifically mentions contributing to an effective understanding of EBM and its implementation, and the Primary Sector Science Roadmap highlights the need to integrate people and values within resource management. Risk and uncertainty aligns closely with the understanding of risk, vulnerability and uncertainty that underpin the ability to manage stressors in the marine environment. Work here also will develop tools to support natural resource management, and building resilience to natural events and climate change (e.g., C-SIG, Business Growth Agenda 2017). The Tangaroa and Vision mātauranga programmes will support a Kaupapa Māori approach informed by tikanga Māori. They also enable the appropriate use of mātauranga Māori both alongside and integrated with other approaches, enabling Māori to exercise kaitiakitanga and other traditional roles and enhancing Māori economic development (Primary Sector Science Roadmap, Conservation and Environment Science Roadmap, He Kai Kei Aku Ringa). A number of research requirements raised during the Māori and stakeholder consultation workshops during development of this strategy are important for marine management but are out Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 33

34 of the focus scope of Sustainable Seas. These are: identification and quantification of resources, collection of baseline information, monitoring of our marine environment, and direct interventions intended to restore degraded marine environments. 8. Meeting the Challenge objective and outcomes Our objective is to: enhance utilisation se of our marine resources within environmental and biological constraints. This strategy envisages a healthy ecosystem as the basis of and being supported by a blue economy, with EBM as the tool to deliver both. The four integrated research themes underlie this vision by delivering an understanding of: how human activities affect ecosystems (including by reducing stressors associated with an activity); the ability to create a blue economy; the assessment of risks and uncertainties associated with EBM; and practical guidelines to enable EBM to work in Aotearoa New Zealand. The special relationship of Māori with the government through the Treaty of Waitangi, and the integrative way Māori perceive the environment, are recognised explicitly and research by Māori for Māori will be delivered within, across and, where necessary, beyond the themes by the Tangaroa programme (Figure 6). Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 34

35 Figure 6: Overview of Phase II strategy Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 35

36 Our approach is cutting edge. Our research will be strongly transdisciplinary, with research by multiple disciplines embedded within each project, and projects that are co-designed with Māori and stakeholders. We know that there is international interest in our approach. This strategy will deliver a step change in how we envisage the marine economy, the value of the marine economy, and our ability to manage marine environments in a way that supports ecological functioning as well as social and cultural values. This strategy is bold, but builds on the research delivered and processes that proved successful in Phase I. We will increase the scale at which we consider EBM from the local to the regional and national scale. We will increase investment in the blue economy research and more directly link economic, social and biophysical science. We extend our understanding of effects to include those of climate change and add direct research into how ecological recovery can occur through stressor management. 9. Ensuring quality Sustainable Seas established a strong reputation for interdisciplinary research in Phase I, engaging openly with Māori and stakeholders and taking leadership in international inter- and transdisciplinary marine research. We will use the theme structure to extend the processes we developed in Phase I to ensure the research completed in Phase II is of excellent quality and expands this reputation. 9.1 Developing research projects Three new initiatives are designed to ensure that the research plan will deliver high quality research. First, theme-centred workshops will be held to develop research projects to address the research questions outlined in this document. They will ensure that best ideas are canvassed from across the research community and Māori and stakeholders. They will increase interactions within Sustainable Seas, and commitments to the Challenge within the research community. To ensure links between the themes are maximised all theme leaders and key researchers likely to be involved in the integration across themes will attend all workshops. Second, we will shift funding of core negotiated projects to a 2+3 year model that builds in a review in Year 2. The Kāhui Māori, Stakeholder Panel, Independent Science Panel (ISP) and Science Leadership Team (SLT) will evaluate progress towards completing research milestones and achieving the Challenge objective. Projects will be continued or refocused, or funding reallocated to new projects, depending on progress. The review will help to ensure that ongoing projects continue to deliver high quality research that contributes to the Challenge objective. Third, the SLT will play a prominent role in initiating and designing research. This will ensure that research projects are framed tightly in terms of the Challenge objective. Close involvement in the design of negotiated projects at an early stage also will allow the SLT to manage expectations in terms of researcher commitments and what can be accomplished within the timeframe, and to ensure that milestones are achievable. The SLT will assist theme leaders on a routine basis; provide proactive guidance to researchers; and coordinate theme development and cross-theme collaboration to ensure research is integrated and quality achieved at project, theme and Challenge levels. Sustainable Seas will continue to work with the Kāhui Māori and Stakeholder Panel to align research with the needs and interests of Māori and stakeholders. The Kāhui Māori will help to co-ordinate Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 36

37 the co-design of projects, provide guidance to Tangaroa, and review Tangaroa and the integration of Vision Mātauranga into the themes. Technical Advisory Groups will be established at the theme level to provide guidance, review from Māori and stakeholders and consolidate relationships. The Technical Advisory Groups will comprise representatives from iwi, regional councils, government agencies, NGOs, and industry to ensure that transdisciplinary projects remain genuinely transdisciplinary and realise the benefits of being transdisciplinary. The ISP will provide expert advice on research design and review of research progress and advise on how networking opportunities and knowledge brokering could be enhanced. The Innovation and Opportunities Fund provides opportunity for high risk high return projects, incremental research that takes core projects in new directions, and transdisciplinary research initiated by Māori and stakeholders. The fund also will provide for co-funded stakeholder-driven projects such as blue economy case studies or participatory process marine spatial planning exercises. This more focused approach, combined with more clearly articulated directions to researchers to develop projects that target the Challenge objective, will improve the quality of contested fund applications. 9.2 Making best use of Aotearoa New Zealand research and capabilities Phase II provides opportunities to fine-tune the process of determining the research to be conducted and the composition of research teams. The best teams will draw on a community of more than 200 researchers funded by the Challenge in Phase I, which includes leading domestic researchers in the field, as well as the network of partner/advisor experts who are directly involved with (through not funded by) Sustainable Seas. We also will offer opportunities to others to join what is now a well-connected community through the theme workshops and the Innovation and Opportunities Fund. Phase II will place a premium on capability building (see Section 7) and the integration of researchers across disciplines, themes and projects to ensure that new connections are made and transdisciplinary research skills are honed. Having Tangaroa projects alongside the theme projects means there will be new opportunities for Māori and non-māori researchers to co-design and develop research, while Tangaroa will allow Māori researchers to undertake kaupapa Māori research beyond the four themes. In the Aotearoa New Zealand context, integrated research in these various guises is essential to ensure current and future research quality. Phase I of Sustainable Seas received substantial amounts of aligned funding, representing significant additional investment. NIWA and Cawthron provided funding in a range of forms, as did regional councils. Auckland, Waikato, Canterbury and Otago universities provided student MSc and PhD scholarships. We anticipate that the strength of relationships forged in Phase I and the mapping of research from Phase I into Phase II (Figure 5) will see this level of support grow. The shift to a thematic focus in research promises to provide new opportunities for aligned funding. For example, the blue economy theme opens up new opportunities for partnerships with Māori and stakeholders. The adoption of a multiple case study approach will increase opportunities for aligned funding and co-development of research, allowing Sustainable Seas to target win-win situations that maximise benefits for the challenge, Māori and stakeholders. 9.3 Leveraging international researchers and research organisations We will leverage international researchers and organisations by drawing on our existing international networks. Engagement with international research in Phase I focused on outreach, e.g., presentations at international conferences, workshops and symposia. We will focus on Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 37

38 developing further collaborative relationships in Phase II. We will build on our research networks and request the ISP to assist us to establish research collaborations with their networks or identify opportunities to engage in international research platforms and agendas. The themes are recognisable internationally and are likely to garner even more interest than the previous programmes in Phase I. For example, there are numerous research programmes on cumulative effects in marine ecosystems in Australia (e.g., AIMS), Europe and North America (e.g., EU Marine Framework Strategy Directive, Centre for Ocean Solutions at Stanford), as well as centres for research on the blue economy (e.g., Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, and the global Coastal Transitions Network). This alignment provides international opportunities for collaboration and incentives to produce high quality research. 10. Delivering impact The primarily interdisciplinary research approach in Phase I enabled us to do important foundational research and tool development. The phase has confirmed that an EBM approach in Aotearoa New Zealand represents a robust, credible pathway to enhancing ecosystem and societal health while also growing the value gained from the marine environment. The themes, many of which are here-and-now management challenges, and based on interdisciplinary collaborations and strong Māori and stakeholder engagement, will provide more comprehensive solutions for Māori and stakeholder. The transdisciplinary approach and themebased structure will also encourage new collaborative platforms of researchers and Māori and stakeholders, which ultimately are required for addressing challenges in growing the marine economy that can be solved in a sustainable manner through EBM. Credible relationships with agencies, Māori and stakeholders must be extended beyond those established in Phase I to deliver the outcomes necessary to realise the Challenge objective. Extensive consultation while developing this strategy has identified individual and collective priorities, opportunities and challenges, which have shaped the way we will implement the research and in turn form the pathways to impact. This inclusive approach to developing our strategy reflects the way we will work in Phase II and provides the pathway required for research implementation, and subsequent uptake and application in real-world EBM practice. Effective engagement, participation and partnership will establish Māori and stakeholders trust and confidence in the research, and provide some level of certainty in its future applications. Our strategy for ensuring a credible pathway to impact includes the following actions. We will develop major project proposals in each theme using a workshop process, thereby increasing co-design and implementation opportunities with Māori (as Treaty partners and stakeholders) and stakeholders. Bringing people outside the science community into the Challenge as active participants and/or partners will grow the wider Sustainable Seas community and broaden our impact across society. We will retain Tangaroa to facilitate research specifically aimed at contributing to the needs and aspirations of Māori where they are relevant to the Challenge objective. This includes promoting specifically Māori-led or partnered research that enables the direct uptake of research outputs designed and delivered by Māori. We will implement multiple case studies that differ in place, issues, communities, and parts of society. This will diversify stakeholder involvement and lead to demonstrations of Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 38

39 different models of EBM in varied communities and locations. Some case studies will grow into EBM in practice and provide the pathway for wider implementation across Aotearoa New Zealand and ensure a legacy of impact beyond the life of Sustainable Seas. We will apply a Vision Mātauranga Policy approach across the whole Challenge to enable the innovation potential of Māori people, resources and knowledge to be maximised by ensuring all of our research (not just that undertaken in Tangaroa) creates specific benefits for Māori. Form Technical Advisory Groups for each theme to provide a platform for active participation of key stakeholders and Māori within the project teams. We will support a team of early career (postdoctoral) EBM researchers that work across Sustainable Seas and ultimately become Aotearoa New Zealand s EBM professionals, thereby extending impact and EBM implementation beyond the life of the Challenge. This cluster could include resource management and policy fellowships aimed at strengthening links between agencies, sectors, Māori and Sustainable Seas research. These could be in the form of co-funded secondments. 3 We will create high-level strategic engagement with central and regional government, iwi chairs, industry bodies and community groups, led by the Director and Science Leadership Team and supported by the Board, Kāhui Māori, and Stakeholder Panel. We will engage with wider society through communications beyond peer-reviewed journal articles, including a range of communication and outreach formats, mediums and approaches for engaging society and sharing Aotearoa New Zealand s EBM stories. Efforts will seek to socialise the science, models and tools generated to increase underlying confidence and trust in EBM. We are in a strong starting position for Phase II in terms of communication, outreach and engagement. High-quality and effective communication channels (e.g., the website, newsletter, internal researcher update) and outreach projects (e.g., LEARNZ virtual field trip, Science Learning Hub resources) have been established and new ones are being developed (e.g. Art+Oceans 2018 collaborative sciart project). Robust strategies for Māori and stakeholder engagement also have been implemented. Our communications, outreach and engagement in Phase II will: Update the Māori and stakeholder engagement plans and the Communication and outreach strategy; Continue to use face-to-face communication and personal relationships to engage with Māori, and stakeholders; Ensure communications and engagement planning at the technical and community levels is included in projects planned outputs; Continue to provide support for researchers through a dedicated resource the Senior Communications Advisor and associated central communications and outreach budget; Continue to use proven channels such as the Research Book and newsletter to share our research with Māori and stakeholders; Develop innovative accessible resources for Māori and stakeholders. 3 Examples include NOAA s Coastal Management Fellowship ( and the Knauss Policy Fellowship ( Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 39

40 10.1 Delivering benefits We will build on Phase I to develop a globally unique portfolio of integrated socio-ecological research that is designed to provide robust solutions of environmental, social, cultural and economic benefit. This will lead to improved science and far reaching benefits for New Zealand, with some more easily quantified in forms of sustainable economic growth, and others in forms of enhanced non-monetary societal and cultural values that are supported by healthy marine ecosystems. Phase II will be inclusive of Māori and stakeholders organisations to ensure relevance (including culturally, spatially and temporally), and therefore deliver local and national level benefit. The active incorporation of mātauranga Māori, as a knowledge system in Aotearoa New Zealand, within the research also will be a feature of the outputs and outcomes produced by Sustainable Seas. Furthermore, mātauranga Māori and its integration and partnership with other knowledge systems and practices (e.g., biophysical-ecological science) will open opportunities to discover new outputs that will highlight Aotearoa New Zealand s research. Phase II research will promote additionality by being both transdisciplinary and integrated, as well as pioneering. Project teams will span multiple organisations, building on the foundation established in Phase I. Additionality will come from the combination of multiple disciplines and transdisciplinary approaches to research across the themes. The best teams approach will continue, forming research teams that involve researchers from a wide range of organisations working together, reducing barriers to cross-organisational research and interactions. We will address at a theme level prioritised topics raised by Māori and stakeholders, and longstanding needs and gaps in managing the marine environment. Examples include a focus on cumulative effects within the Degradation and recovery in multi-use ecosystems theme, and increased attention to land-sea interactions, which will be enhanced through links with the Our Land and Water Challenge and central and regional government. Opportunities for increased additionality are most apparent through the inclusion of the Creating value from a blue economy and Risk and uncertainty themes. Creating value from a blue economy will work innovatively to create wide-ranging environmental, socio-cultural and financial benefits to Aotearoa New Zealand. Progress to develop a blue economy will lead to a resilient and healthy economy as a result of economic activity being in balance with socio-cultural interests and the long-term capacity of marine ecosystems. This theme focuses on identifying, cultivating, and realising blue economy values. Integrating the blue economy with EBM will lead to the best possible outcomes for Aotearoa New Zealand in terms of ensuring the marine environment is healthy while supporting a robust high-quality marine economy. Achieving this theme s outcomes will allow for enhanced value in the marine economy, reduced compliance costs, new opportunities for small operators, and collective forms of investment to be developed. Risk and uncertainty issues are embedded in all the themes, and are at the core of decision-making processes and the ability to enable EBM. There are far-reaching benefits that will arise from increasing Aotearoa New Zealand s ability to appropriately address risks and understand levels of uncertainty. This is particularly relevant in the marine environment where proposals for resource use often are not supported due to uncertainty associated with a paucity of data. Our focus on risk and uncertainty therefore will deliver significant additionality and have spill-over benefits to other resource management issues, including through links with other National Science Challenges. This will lead to exciting new interdisciplinary research within a framework co-designed with Māori and Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 40

41 stakeholders. Developing new theories, models and tools that can communicate the degree of uncertainty associated with specific aspects of risk predictions will lead the production of integrated risk assessment frameworks that in turn will create a step change in Aotearoa New Zealand s decision-making. 11. Challenge decision-making and accountability arrangements The governance, management and financial structures, decision-making and accountability arrangements have worked effectively in Phase I. There is a good flow of information and knowledge from the Stakeholder Panel and Kāhui Māori to the Science Leadership Team (SLT) and Board, and between the Board and SLT. There are no proposed changes to the management and governance structure in Phase II, other than Theme Leaders replacing Programme Leaders (Figure 7). Quarterly milestones were incorporated in all research contracts and are reviewed annually between the Director, Programme Leader and Project Leader. This, along with quarterly reporting by each project, gives good visibility of project progress. Phase II will not require a long set up time, so projects can run for the full five years, using a 2+3 year approach that allows for effective and timely reviews by the SLT and ISP after two years. The SLT was expanded during Phase I to ensure there was an appropriate discipline balance. This has benefited Sustainable Seas and the expanded discipline balance of the SLT membership will be maintained in Phase II. Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 41

42 Figure 7: Sustainable Seas governance and management structure for phase II Sustainable Seas Challenge, Strategy for Phase II ( ) 42