New marine protections in the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana

Overview

This network of marine protection builds on the aspirations of the Sea Change Tai Timu Tai Pari plan. It incorporates feedback from tangata whenua, stakeholders and the public. It will use both new and existing marine protection tools.

The protection consists of:

• 2 marine reserves; extending from the existing reserves Te Whanganui-o-Hei/Cathedral Cove Marine Reserve and Cape Rodney – Okakari Point (Goat Island).
• 12 high protection areas (HPAs) – these areas protect and restore marine habitats and ecosystems. They also provide for the customary practices of tangata whenua
• 5 seafloor protection areas (SPAs) – these areas protect seafloor habitats. But they still allow for activities that do not damage them, such as non-bottom contacting fishing.

The marine protection aims to support tangata whenua in their roles as kaitiaki and rangatira, and acknowledge the cultural value of Tīkapa Moana.

The areas were chosen because they meet criteria such as:

• being at-risk
• being rare
• having a large range of diverse wildlife
• representing an important habitat or ecosystem type.

The areas would nearly triple protection in the Gulf from just over 6%, including the cable protection zones, to about 18%. This would support the recovery of some of its most biodiverse regions, including its nearshore areas and deep reefs.

When the new protection would start

The protection requires new legislation and involves the use of two new tools: high protection areas and seafloor protection areas.

Parliament is progressing this legislation in the form of a Bill, named the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill.

If passed into law, we anticipate the legislation and protection to be in place during 2025.

Map of protection areas

The new protection areas are within the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park. The Park is not a protected area. It was established in 2000, under the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Act, to achieve integrated management of the area across land and sea. The Hauraki Gulf Forum is the statutory body established under this Act.  

A map of the 19 new marine protection areas | See larger (jpg, 6,849K)