The Committee of the Whole House concluded its deliberations on the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill today. This is the last substantive stage before the Third Reading and Royal Assent. The new legislation will create 12 new high protection areas, 5 new seafloor protection areas, and 2 extensions to existing marine reserves.
“It’s wonderful to be getting this close to the finish line,” says EDS Policy Director Raewyn Peart. “It’s a very long time coming.
“Although the country’s first marine reserve was established at Leigh in 1975, only 0.3 per cent of the Gulf is protected today. The last time a marine reserve was created in the Gulf was in 2005, at Te Matuku Bay on Waiheke Island.
“I was one of the 14 Stakeholder Working Group members who first met in late 2013 to develop a plan to bring the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana back to health. That collaborative process brought key stakeholders and iwi around the table to build a consensus. A lot has happened since then and the Gulf is now in a much more depleted state.
“The Bill will go a long way towards addressing this. It will increase the protected area of the Gulf by 20 times, from 0.3 to 6 per cent. It will be the largest network of coastal marine protected areas in the country.
“The protection will release a significant amount of philanthropic funding to actively restore lost kelp forests within the high protection areas. This will not only serve to increase productivity and biodiversity within the Gulf, but also create jobs and strengthen the area’s blue economy.
“It’s disappointing to see the government allowing a limited ring-net fishery to continue in some high protection areas, but this will be subject to review after three years. It is also concerning that customary fishing will not be subject to biodiversity objectives. However, it’s important not to let these concerns overshadow the massive win for the environment achieved through this Bill.
“EDS thanks Conservation Minister Tama Potaka for seeing the Bill through to this point, not an easy task in a development-orientated Cabinet.
“We would also like to thank all those who have worked hard over the years to achieve this major win for the environment, including iwi and community members. Without this combined effort we wouldn’t have got this far,” concluded Ms Peart.