OIA25-0885
2 February 2026
Katrina Sidaway
[FYI request #32755 email]
Dear Katrina,
Thank you for your email of 12 December 2025, requesting information relating to observer
coverage and health and safety information. Your request has been considered under the
Official Information Act 1982 (OIA).
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has interpreted your request as a reconsideration of
your earlier request, OIA25-0777. This request was for the annual level of fishery observer
coverage on deep-sea trawl vessels for each year since 2000, disaggregated for each year
by observer deployment status (i.e. dual observer, single observer, and no observer),
expressed in days at-sea. MPI declined providing this information due to substantial collation
being required to manual y identify, verify, and prepare the data in a way that would answer
your request.
On 12 December 2025 you requested the following:
Please provide a table of annual observer voyage deployments for the period 2000–
2024, disaggregated by observer status (i.e., dual-observer voyages and solo-
observer voyages) across all fisheries. This may be expressed in:
-
number of observer days, or
-
percentage of total observer days, or
-
percentage of total voyages, or
-
any equivalent metric that is logistically easiest for FNZ to extract.
If quantifying the full series would stil require substantial collation, please instead
provide this information for the following four years only: 2000, 2008, 2016, and 2024.
Each year, Fisheries New Zealand plans the number of observer days needed at-sea for
different fisheries and clients. An annual 'seaday plan' is then generated and we regularly
report on delivery against the seaday plan (i.e. planned versus delivered days in each
fishery). This information is available on our website here:
https://www.mpi.govt.nz/fishing-
aquaculture/commercial-fishing/operating-as-a-commercial-fisher/fisheries-observer-services The best way of measuring observer coverage is through measuring 'fishing effort'. This
means there is a standard way of reporting observer coverage, and we can compare this
across different fishing fleets and fishing methods. Coverage can also be calculated based
on 'days' or 'trips' observed. Using a fishing effort-based metric is preferred, as it accounts for
differences in fishing methods and provides a comparable measure of coverage across
different fleets.
Ministry for Primary Industries
Charles Fergusson Building
38-42 Bowen Street
PO Box 2526
Wel ington 6140, New Zealand
mpi.govt.nz
Fisheries New Zealand separates the reporting for observer coverage across three different
fleets:
1.
Inshore
2.
Deepwater (includes middle depth)
3.
Highly migratory species (HMS).
Observer coverage using this metric for the previous 12 fishing years is available here:
https://www.mpi.govt.nz/fishing-aquaculture/sustainable-fisheries/commercial-fishing-
monitored-by-fisheries-observers. Your refined request stil does not remove the necessity of substantial collation and research
required to manual y compile and create a record of observer coverage broken down by
number of observers deployed on a trip.
This would also require manual verification of a large amount of information due to the way
observer placements are recorded. A single fishing trip may have a mix of single and dual
observer placement depending on the circumstances. Due to this, we are unable to provide
an accurate breakdown of observer coverage that would meet the needs of your refined
request, and your request is consequently declined under section 18(f) of the OIA -
the
information requested cannot be made available without substantial collation or research.
Please provide a table of the annual number of fisheries observers who required
rescue at-sea due to a fishing vessel sinking, capsizing, or being abandoned.
This may be restricted solely to the years and incidents recorded in your current
Health and Safety database and does not need to extend earlier than the period for
which FNZ retains such records.
Fisheries New Zealand takes observer health and safety very seriously. This includes
working with operators to ensure vessels are safe before our observers are deployed.
Consequently, incidents where observers have required at-sea assistance are infrequent.
MPI’s incident database records only one incident since 2018 that falls within the scope of
your request. This incident, dated August 2023, related to a fishing vessel losing power and
requiring another vessel to tow it back to the wharf. Records indicate no injuries were
sustained by the observer or crew on-board.
Should you have any concerns with this response, I would encourage you to raise these with
the MPI at
[email address]. Alternatively, you are advised of your right to
also raise any concerns with the Office of the Ombudsman. Contact details are: Office of the
Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143 or
at [email address]. Yours sincerely,
Monique Andrew
Director Verification and Operations
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