You may recall the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill introduced by the Labour government late last year - see The Government's Hauraki Gulf 'protection' plan. This initiative is a step towards achieving the protection of 30% of our ocean by 2030 that New Zealand committed to in December 2022.

However, instead of following the best-practise of no-take Marine Reserves, the Bill proposes to establish 12 new 'High Protection Areas' (HPAs). These areas would prohibit commercial and recreational fishing but permit customary harvesting by ‘tangata whenua’.

The proposed HPAs are not small discrete sites in front of marae, but relatively large areas, including favoured fishing spots such the Mokohinau Islands and the Noises.  

You can read more about the Bill in the Gulf Users Group October 2023 article Have your say on the Hauraki Gulf Protection Bill.

Although the parliamentary select committee considering the Bill acknowledges receiving a substantial number of submissions from the public who consider it unfair to allow customary fishing in HPAs, the committee has decided to retain the provisions on customary fishing unchanged, effectively making these areas exclusive iwi fishing reserves. This decision goes against best-practice marine conservation and raises questions about the Coalition’s promise to defend the principle of equality before the law for all New Zealanders.

The National Party, in its coalition agreement with NZ First, committed to not advancing policies that seek to ascribe different rights and responsibilities to New Zealanders based on race or ancestry (see Coalition Agreement between the National Party & New Zealand First, Nov 2023).

The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill fails this test.

(The Environment Select Committee’s report on the Bill is available on the Parliament website at this link).

If we are to truly address the Gulf's environmental challenges, 'no-take' marine reserves under the Marine Reserves Act are the gold-standard in marine protection. I believe it is unnecessary to create allowances for customary harvesting in these areas, as over 80% of the Gulf will remain open for customary practices.

We still have an opportunity to influence this legislation before it moves to the House of Representatives for debate.

If you, like me, believe this Bill should be amended or rejected, please use our one-click tool to email the leaders of the coalition parties - Mr. Luxon, Mr. Seymour, Mr. Peters, and Mr. Jones - urging them to honour their commitments to all New Zealanders to defend the principle of equality before the law.

Take a stand - send the government a message

It only takes a couple of minutes – click here.