The Forum agreed to have a substantive discussion at the Hauraki Gulf Forum’s May 2017 meeting on the Sea Change recommendations and their implications for its future work programme.  The Hauraki Gulf Forum’s Executive Officer has been charged with working collaboratively with the Technical Officers Group to provide information/advice prior to its May 2017 meeting on options to promote and implement the vision and pathways identified in Sea Change plan. 

For the Government’s part, it has initiated a process for considering the Plan’s recommendations. Officials in the Department of Conservation, the Ministry for Primary Industries and the Ministry for the Environment are currently analysing the broad suite of recommendations in the Plan, and advising Ministers on the next steps on its consideration and implementation.

Auckland Council has set up an ‘Evaluation Steering Group’, consisting of senior managers across the Council departments and CCOs, to carry out an initial evaluation of the Sea Change Plan. Results will be presented to a council committee in April/May in the form of an advice paper seeking the council’s position on the plan and the approach going forward.

Thames District Council’s has formulated an Initial Position statement:

"Council considers the Hauraki Gulf Marine Spatial Plan, “Sea Change”, should be used as an information tool only to inform the strategic action functions of the Hauraki Gulf Forum going forward and that any moves to change its status as a statutory document should trigger a full resource management consultative process".