Issue date
Yachting New Zealand are seeking feedback on the Government's proposal to create 19 new marine protected areas in the Hauraki Gulf under new legislation.
The proposals include 12 high protection areas, five seafloor protection areas and extensions to the existing Cape Rodney-Okakari Point (Leigh/Goat Island) and Te Whanganui-a-Hei (Cathedral Cove) marine reserves.
It will increase the area under high-take protection in the Hauraki Gulf from about 0.3 percent to about six percent and will support the recovery of some of its most biodiverse regions.
These proposals were first announced in the strategy Revitalising the Gulf: Government action on the Sea Change Plan in 2021. They were then refined after engagement with mana whenua in the Gulf.
If implemented, the high protection areas would be a vital step in enhancing the mauri, health and life of the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana / Te Moananui ā toi.
Yachting New Zealand are interested in your club’s feedback and whether you support these proposals or not. This would help us ensure we are representing our members.
Please send your feedback to us via this online form.
You can read more about the proposals here, which also explains how you can make your own submission depending on your own view.
A healthy ecosystem in the Poor Knights Marine Reserve. Photos: Project Kahurangi.
An example of a kina barren that is commonly found in areas with no marine protection and heavy fishing pressures.
