Cawthron Blue Technology operation coordinator Nick Scott passes scallop cages to a diver for open ocean aquaculture trials.

Ngā Punga o te Moana: Open ocean aquaculture

Anchoring our open ocean future

Ngā Punga o te Moana: Open ocean aquaculture

Anchoring our open ocean future

The Challenge

Aotearoa New Zealand has the ninth-largest marine estate in the world — over 400 million hectares — yet our aquaculture industry is largely confined to sheltered, near-shore waters. These coastal spaces are increasingly congested, ecologically constrained, and vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

Open ocean aquaculture (OOA) offers a path forward: cleaner, cooler waters, reduced fouling, greater carrying capacity, and less pressure on coastal habitats. More than 11,000 hectares of open ocean area is already consented for aquaculture in New Zealand, with a further 10,000 hectares anticipated — yet less than a quarter of the current consented space is in production. The barriers are real: we lack the structures, environmental knowledge, and species-specific husbandry practices needed to farm reliably in exposed, high-energy ocean conditions.

Without addressing these gaps, New Zealand's aquaculture growth ambitions — including a government target of over NZ$3 billion by 2035 — will remain out of reach.

About the Programme

Ngā Punga o te Moana ('Anchors of the Sea') is a government-funded research and development programme designed to make shellfish and seaweed farming in the open ocean commercially viable for New Zealand.

It tackles the core knowledge and technology barriers holding back OOA expansion — from farm structures engineered for high-energy environments, to environmental modelling, species selection, and industry development pathways. The programme places mātauranga Māori and kaupapa Māori approaches at its centre, and works in close partnership with iwi and Māori enterprise.

If successful, the programme could more than double the value of New Zealand's shellfish industry (currently worth $423 million per year) and establish a new high-value seaweed sector.

What this programme will do

This research initiative will:

Design, test, and validate new farm structures engineered specifically for open ocean conditions, achieving proof of concept for commercial shellfish and seaweed production.
Collect and model oceanographic data to predict how structures and species interact with open ocean environments, supporting informed site selection and farm design.
Identify species with the highest OOA potential and develop tailored husbandry and farming methods to make commercial production viable.

Integrate mātauranga Māori and kaupapa Māori approaches into research design, ensuring OOA development aligns with iwi values and priorities.
Reduce investor risk and boost confidence in OOA ventures by providing clear evidence of commercial feasibility.
Support the development of a sustainable, globally competitive open ocean aquaculture industry that benefits farming communities across New Zealand.

Research focus areas

New farming structures
Existing offshore structures are designed for finfish — they don't suit shellfish or seaweed. The programme will develop and test new designs capable of withstanding open ocean conditions while enabling productive, scalable farming operations.

Ocean environment knowledge
What defines an 'open ocean' site isn't simply distance from shore — it's energy. Researchers will deploy sensors and remote systems to gather real-time oceanographic data, then use modelling tools to predict how farms will perform across a range of open ocean environments.

New species development
The programme will investigate species beyond Greenshell™ mussels — including other shellfish and seaweed — assessing their biological suitability for open ocean conditions and developing the husbandry knowledge needed to farm them commercially.

Industry development
The programme will work directly with farmers, investors, and communities to translate research into viable ventures — building the business case for OOA and creating frameworks for equitable, sustainable industry growth.

Cawthron Blue Technology researcher Nick Scott conducting open ocean aquaculture trials for the Ngā Punga o te Moana project.

Working in partnership with Māori

Meaningful partnership with Māori is central to how Ngā Punga o te Moana aims to work. We are committed to engaging with iwi, hapū, whānau, and Māori enterprise to understand the values and priorities that should shape open ocean aquaculture development — and to ensuring that the benefits of this research reach Māori communities in ways that matter to them.

We are privileged to be working closely with core Programme partner Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board which owns Aotearoa New Zealand’s only open ocean mussel farm, Whakatōhea Mussels Ōpōtiki Ltd.

A core deliverable of the Programme has been aquaculture education opportunities for Whakatōhea rangatahi.

Why it matters

Aquaculture is the fastest-growing food sector in the world and one of the most sustainable forms of food production available. New Zealand is uniquely positioned to lead because of our vast marine estate, world-class mussel industry, and the research capability to solve the challenges ahead.

Ngā Punga o te Moana exists to close the gap between potential and production. If we can unlock the open ocean, New Zealand can expand its aquaculture output significantly, diversify into new species and products, create economic opportunity in coastal communities, and establish itself as a global leader in sustainable open ocean farming.