Professor Andrew Jeffs on sustaining New Zealand’s Blue Economy

Professor Andrew Jeffs

Most New Zealanders revel in the country’s existence as an island nation, regularly enjoying our beaches. However, how many people know of our oceans’ economic potential? Aotearoa controls the seventh largest maritime area in the world, 15 times larger than its land area, and the blue economy contributes billions in economic activity to Aotearoa. While New Zealand benefits greatly from its coasts, there is a dissonance between kiwi values and behaviours. Our oceans are suffering from pollution, affecting the future potential to sustain our seafood consumption, export potential and our recreational enjoyment of the sea.

Professor Andrew Jeffs is a marine scientist at Waipapa Taumata Rau, the University of Auckland, and an alumnus of the Business School’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE). Through his research and industry engagement, he’s helping to restore marine ecosystems and exploring sustainable ways to grow New Zealand’s blue economy.

One of Professor Jeffs’ most notable earlier projects has been the restoration of wild mussel reefs, a world-first initiative that uses spent mussel shells and live farmed mussels to seed new reefs. What began as a community-led idea in the Hauraki Gulf has now expanded across Aotearoa and even internationally. “It started small as a clever idea from a community group,” he recalls, “and now we’re involved in projects all over the country and overseas. I never would have guessed it at the outset.” This groundbreaking work culminated in the creation of an international guidebook on mussel reef restoration, highlighting New Zealand’s leadership in marine conservation. Most recently he has spent four months working in southern Chile on helping to establish mussel restoration activities.

Professor Jeffs interest in applying his research to solve real-world problems has ignited a curiosity in innovation and entrepreneurship. He is a two-time winner of the Velocity Ideas Challenge, CIE’s flagship start-up ideas competition, and has also secured grants from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to progress innovations.

Aotearoa’s Blue Economy: challenges and opportunities

New Zealand’s blue economy consists of fisheries and aquaculture, marine tourism, recreation and more. It employs approximately 70,000 people and represents a vital part of the country’s economic and cultural identity. Yet, as Professor Jeffs points out, it faces significant challenges. Sediment runoff from land-based activities such as farming, forestry, and urban development is degrading coastal ecosystems, leading to murky waters, diminishing fisheries, and vanishing shellfish beds.

“The problem is massive,” he warns. “It really is a land issue that Kiwis need to get to grips with and start implementing more effective solutions.” A significant part of the lack of understanding of the scale of the problem is lack of visibility about what lies beneath our seas. “The way we operate on land and at sea is very different – on land, ownership equals control of a lot of activities, but at sea it is has always been a bit of a free for all. Also, on land if you chop down a forest on land it is obvious to everyone, but in the sea, it is much harder to see what is going on. So, we have a long history of disregarding what we do to the marine environment – whether it is overfishing or piping sewage into the sea to get rid of it.”

Climate change compounds these pressures, with warming oceans displacing seafood industries and threatening marine biodiversity. “We’re seeing marine organisms disappearing or retreating off coastlines,” he says. “The uncertainty of change makes it increasingly difficult or risky to operate in the blue economy.”

Despite these challenges, Professor Jeffs sees opportunities for adaptation. One area of promise is the cultivation of farmed seaweed, which offers environmental benefits and aligns with global dietary trends. “Seaweed farming has a lot of potential,” he explains. “It’s already a significant ingredient in many diets and could become even more important as we pivot to sustainable seafood.”

Balancing tradition and innovation

Reflecting on New Zealand’s unique approach to marine conservation, Professor Jeffs highlights the significant role of iwi in fisheries and the blue economy. He notes that international collaborators are often fascinated by the integration of Māori cultural practices, such as kaitiakitanga, into resource management. “The large-scale involvement of Māori stakeholders in commercial fisheries is something many overseas find extraordinary,” he says.

Jeffs also credits iwi and community groups for stepping in to fill public policy voids through rāhui (restricting access to natural resources for conservation reasons) and local restoration efforts. He says of the lack of recent advancement in establishing marine protected areas, “We were the first country in the world to establish a fully protected marine reserve last century, and the positive learnings from that helped trigger a world-wide movement, to the point where it became a major shared UN goal for the world to establish marine protected areas. While other countries have grasped the metal and got on with the task of creating marine protected areas, New Zealand has made little progress at all. For example, new protected areas for the Hauraki Gulf have been over a decade in the making and despite broad stakeholder agreement to their placement, they still aren’t fully in place. Meanwhile, iwi and community groups are leading the charge by installing rāhui, fighting invasive exotic seaweeds, and restoring shellfish beds.”

Inspiring community action

A passionate advocate for education and outreach, Professor Jeffs believes in the power of informed communities. “Engagement is critical,” he says. “Working with iwi and volunteers ensures that the outcomes are culturally meaningful, ecologically effective, and widely supported.”

From speaking at Rotary clubs, schools and industry events to participating in school science fair initiatives, he dedicates significant time to public engagement. One example was his involvement in fundraising for penguin nesting boxes around the Hauraki Gulf. The initiative, supported by University of Auckland alumni, provided hundreds of boxes—some painted by local schoolchildren—to help little blue penguins thrive.

There is much to be done to support the health of our oceans, and in turn the prosperity of the blue economy, through research, policy and social and corporate behaviour. For those who want to take an active part in creating solutions, Professor Jeffs encourages people to explore their options through developing their own innovations and engaging with community groups.

“Community-led initiatives can be enormously empowering and effective,” he says. “They’re a win-win—people feel good about making a difference, and the environment benefits too.”

Further reading: Measuring New Zealand’s Blue Economy