Update – 21 January 2022
The Minister for Oceans and Fisheries has decided to approve the Ōpihi Extension Mātaitai Reserve, Canterbury.
The reserve becomes effective on Friday, 11 February 2022.
Find out more about the second consultation held about this application and the outcome
Your views sought
Te Rūnanga o Arowhenua applied to extend the Ōpihi Mātaitai Reserve to include the streams, creeks, and bodies of water that adjoin the southwest corner of the Ōpihi Mātaitai Reserve, Canterbury.
Fisheries New Zealand and Te Rūnanga o Arowhenua held a public meeting on the application and invited submissions on the proposal from the local community.
This was the first of 2 consultations that were held about the application.
Find out about the second consultation
What was proposed?
The approximate area of the proposed mātaitai reserve extension included the streams, creeks, and bodies of water that adjoin the southwest corner of the Ōpihi Lagoon area, as defined in the Fisheries (Notification of Opihi Mātaitai Reserve and Tangata Tiaki/Kaitiaki) Notice 2014.
Map and application document
Map of the proposed extension to the Ōpihi Mātaitai Reserve [PDF, 165 KB]
Application from Te Rūnanga o Arowhenua about extending the Ōpihi Mātaitai Reserve [PDF, 1012 KB]
About mātaitai reserves
A mātaitai reserve is an identified traditional fishing ground and is established for the purpose of customary food gathering. Mātaitai reserves are limited to fisheries waters and do not include any land area.
Find out more about mātaitai reserves
Fisheries (South Island Customary Fishing) Regulations 1999
Submissions are public information
Note that any submission you make becomes public information. People can ask for copies of submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we have to make submissions available unless we have a good reason for withholding it. That is explained in sections 6 and 9 of the OIA.
Tell us if you think there are grounds to withhold specific information in your submission. Reasons might include that it's commercially sensitive or it's personal information. However, any decision Fisheries New Zealand makes to withhold information can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may tell us to release it.
