Decription:

New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone and continental shelf extensions comprise one of the world’s largest ocean areas under national jurisdiction. This provides us with an inestimable strategic asset, and will ensure that New Zealand’s society and future prosperity will increasingly have a marine orientation.

However, from technology, environmental and resource stewardship perspectives the ocean offers immense challenges. Much of our ocean resource remains uncharted and much has yet to be learnt about how ocean processes affect the marine environment or influence the broader global ecosystem.

Overlay these uncertainties with the increasing vulnerability of both natural and built systems to variability in the earth’s climate, then we have reason to examine these issues further. To do so will require imagination, ingenuity and the drive to develop our knowledge and technological understanding.

This commentary is derived principally from papers on oceans research, science and technology presented to the CAE-organised conference at the Museum of New Zealand-Te Papa Tongarewa in October 1999.