Revitalising the Gulf: Government action on the Sea Change Plan
Introduction
Revitalising the Gulf provides Government leadership across how we manage one of the country’s most valued and intensively used coastal spaces. It sets out a package of marine conservation and fisheries management actions to restore a healthy Hauraki Gulf.Consultation on proposals to revitalise Hauraki Gulf
Feedback was sought on the Revitalising the Gulf marine protection proposals from 14 September until 28 October 2022. Submissions are now closed.
Proposals included 19 new protected zones in the Hauraki Gulf, using two new marine protection tools established through new legislation.
Revitalising the Gulf
Revitalising the Gulf is the Government’s strategy in response to the call for action made by the 2017 Sea Change – Tai Timu Tai Pari Hauraki Gulf Marine Spatial Plan (the Sea Change Plan).
Building on the work already underway, DOC and Ministry for Primary Industries / Fisheries New Zealand (MPI/FNZ) will implement the Strategy’s actions.
The Strategy’s proposals reflect the Government’s analysis of the 2017 Sea Change Plan recommendations, relating to marine conservation and fisheries management. They have incorporated feedback from mana whenua, implementation partners, and key stakeholders.
Sea Change Tai Timu Tai Pari Ministerial Advisory Committee
Throughout the Strategy’s development, an independent Sea Change Tai Timu Tai Pari Ministerial Advisory Committee provided feedback and advice to Ministers, MPI/FNZ and us.
The advice of the committee cumulated in their September 2020 report to the former Ministers of Conservation and Fisheries (then Hon Eugenie Sage and Hon Stuart Nash). This report stated that Government has broadly arrived at a durable response.
DOC and MPI/FNZ have addressed some of the report’s recommendations in the finalised Strategy, and will consider them further during implementation of Revitalising the Gulf’s actions.
Our plan for action
The Strategy sets out the actions Government will take to restore the health and mauri of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park (the Gulf), guided by two overarching outcomes:
- effective kaitiakitanga and guardianship in the Gulf, and
- healthy functioning ecosystems that:
- underpin the wellbeing and prosperity of people who live, work and play in the Gulf
- sustain healthy fisheries that replenish and enhance the pātaka kai (food basket) for customary, recreational and commercial uses
- regulate, support and sustain the Gulf, and
- support resilient and diverse habitats and marine life.
The Strategy drives change with multiple integrated actions. Government is committed to delivering:
- increased marine protection to allow the recovery of some of the most biodiverse regions in the Gulf
- New Zealand’s first area-based fisheries plan tailored to the unique needs of the Hauraki Gulf
- wider seabed habitat protection by restricting trawling and other fishing methods
- increased shellfish abundance through harvesting restrictions and catch limits
- an expanded programme of protected species management
- a habitat restoration guide to better direct habitat restoration resources and initiatives
- increased participation of mana whenua and stakeholders in local fisheries management decisions
- Government supported mana whenua and local community projects to achieve local aspirations for nearshore environments (Ahu Moana)
- a prosperous, sustainable aquaculture industry and aligned biosecurity programmes.
The Strategy’s actions will be supported by a research, monitoring and reporting programme, to track implementation and effectiveness of actions, and drive a flexible adaptive management approach to deliver the best results for the Gulf.
These actions will complement the Government’s non-marine work programme such as the Essential Freshwater and Productive and Sustainable Land Use packages, as well as the work of others, to restore the health and mauri of the Gulf.
You can find a description of these actions and how we landed on them in Revitalising the Gulf, which includes a road map of actions we will take to improve the health and mauri of the Gulf.
For a high-level summary of Revitalising the Gulf, see our At a Glance summary.
We’re excited to work with implementation partners and the many people that care for the Gulf to begin improving its health for current and future generations.
A plan made through collaboration
The Sea Change Plan was published in April 2017. It contains a set of proposals for improving the health and mauri of the Gulf.
The non-statutory plan was developed over three years by a 14-member stakeholder working group. The group represented mana whenua, environmental groups, and the fishing, aquaculture and agriculture sectors.
The Sea Change Plan makes over 180 proposals for the Gulf and its catchments across land, freshwater and marine domains.
Find out more about the Sea Change Plan and how it was put together – Sea Change.
Further information
- Terms of Reference for the Sea Change Tai Timu Tai Pari Ministerial Advisory Committee (PDF, 484K)
- The Sea Change Tai Timu Tai Pari Ministerial Advisory Committee’s report to Ministers (PDF, 504K)
- Technical analysis of the plan’s marine protection proposals (PDF, 7,521K)
- Technical analysis of the plan’s protected species proposals (PDF, 1,172K)
- Geospatial files for the plan's marine protection proposals (ZIP, 476K)
- Evaluation of biodiversity protected by Sea Change Tai Timu Tai Pari – Marine Protected Area proposals (DOCX, 12,418K)
Contacts
Department of Conservation: seachange@doc.govt.nz
Ministry for Primary Industries / Fisheries New Zealand: seachange@mpi.govt.nz
The application for a marine reserve at Waiheke Island
DOC has received a draft application from the Friends of the Hauraki Gulf to establish a marine reserve at Hakaimango – Matiatia (Northwest Waiheke Island).
DOC has an independent statutory role in managing and processing this marine reserve application. This application is not part of Revitalising the Gulf: Government action on the Sea Change Plan and implementing Revitalising the Gulf is a separate process