Accelerating aquaculture: Marine extractivism, illiberal economics and blue growth in aotearoa (New Zealand)

This article links the extension of new extractivist logics in marine environments with a global rise in illiberal political and economic trends, right-wing political configurations, and the imposition of aggressive borderisations of nature and society. I argue that earlier alignments between discourses of sustainability and blue economic growth, which characterised the neoliberal era, shaped the terms upon which a contemporary authoritarian extractive turn is now occurring. The analysis is grounded in an exploration of the anticipated acceleration of aquaculture in Aotearoa New Zealand and the role of the settlement of Indigenous Māori claims in this development. I identify a range of moments and mechanisms facilitating the authoritarian turn, including the amplification of market-based visions, financial and technological innovations, the creation of a conducive regulatory environment for financiers, state pledges to co-invest in this speculative future, the dismantling of environmental protections and the subjugation of Indigenous tenure and relational economies.