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Amended Ōtākou (Otago Harbour) Mātaitai reserve application

Pursuant to regulation 17 of the Fisheries (South Island Customary Fishing) Regulations 1999, in 2008 Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou applied to the Minister for Primary Industries for a mātaitai reserve over the fisheries waters of Otago Harbour, excluding six specified areas used for commercial fishing activities and other commercial purposes.

A mātaitai reserve is an identified traditional fishing ground in fisheries waters established for the purpose of customary food gathering.

Consultation on the application occurred in 2008 and 2009 pursuant to regulations 18 and 19. Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou has since amended the boundaries of the proposed mātaitai reserve to also exclude two sanitation areas that are subject to a special permit under section 97 of the Fisheries Act 1996. The special permit allows for research trials on commercial cockle fishing in the two sanitation areas (download map for current proposal).

Due to the amendment to the application, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is undertaking further consultation, pursuant to Regulation 19.

MPI is calling for written submissions from those persons, including local residents/recreational fishers and commercial fishers, who take fish, aquatic life, or seaweed or own quota, and whose ability to take such fish, aquatic life, or seaweed or whose ownership interest in quota may be affected by the proposed mātaitai reserve.

A public notice calling for written submission was published in The Otago Daily Times on Saturday, 28 June 2014.

A copy of the public notice containing details of the application and a map of the proposed mātaitai reserve area are available for download below.

Submissions

The closing date for submissions is Monday, 28 July 2014 .

Submissions should be sent to:

Fisheries Management - Spatial Allocations and Data Management
Ministry for Primary Industries
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140

Or by email to FMSubmissions@mpi.govt.nz

A copy of the mātaitai reserve application and a map of the proposed area are also available from the above contact.

Further information on mātaitai reserves is available here:


Note: All submissions are subject to the Official Information Act 1982 (“the OIA”) and can be released, if requested. If you have specific reasons for wanting to have your submission withheld, please set out your reasons in the submission. MPI will consider those reasons when making any assessment for release of submissions if requested under the OIA.