Establish value of the dolphins to New Zealanders

Cover of New Zealand Report

We financed a country wide survey and co-authored an economic report based on the survey with Economists At Large, Melbourne, Australia. The survey assessed "willingness to pay" for conservation of the dolphins which indicated that New Zealanders were willing to pay higher prices for their fish to ensure that the Dolphins weren't subject to bycatch. We presented this work in a report which went to New Zealand politicians and we also prepared a poster which was presented at the Biennial Marine Mammal Conference in Dunedin, New Zealand in Dec. 2013.

Key supporting facts that made the survey and report possible include cooperation of New Zealand scientists to refine the survey, an outside economist group separate from ourselves to ensure impartiality and to evaluate where we stood. All of this was essential to directing our future efforts and to know where and how we might be effective.

Although the survey and economic report supported conservation and were reported favourably in the media, we realized that it would take more direct action and involvement by New Zealanders in their communities to execute change in terms of gaining more protection and removing the nets.

Planning phase

National

Hoyt, E., McGrath, G., Bossley, M., Knowles, T. 2014. Assessing New Zealanders’ Willingness-to-pay to Protect the Endangered New Zealand Dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori): A benefit-cost analysis comparing three scenarios. Economists at Large, Melbourne, Australia and Critical Habitat Marine Protected Areas Programme, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Chippenham, UK, 20pp