Your views sought
Wairewa Rūnanga (Kāti Irakehu and Kāti Makō) has applied for 2 mātaitai reserves at Banks Peninsula, Canterbury.
Wairewa Rūnanga and Fisheries New Zealand will hold 2 local community meetings to discuss the applications.
We opened this consultation on 21 May and will accept submissions until 5pm on 3 July 2026.
This is the first of 2 consultations to be held about the applications. For this consultation, we invite submissions on the proposal from the local community.
Find out about the second consultation
The proposed areas
Te Kaio Mātaitai Reserve extension: approximately 0.85 square kilometres of South Island fisheries waters in Oashore Bay, Tokoroa Bay, Hikuraki Bay, and Magnet Bay to be included in Te Kaio Mātaitai Reserve.
Māhērua Mātaitai Reserve: approximately 39 square kilometres of South Island fisheries waters between Te Kaio Mātaitai Reserve (at Tumbledown Bay) and the Akaroa Harbour Taiāpure (at Timutimu Head) to approximately 1 nautical mile offshore.
Consultation documents
Application for Te Kaio Mātaitai Reserve Extension [PDF, 444 KB]
Application for Māherua Mātaitai Reserve [PDF, 409 KB]
Map of proposed Te Kaio Mātaitai Reserve Extension [PDF, 639 KB]
Map of proposed Māherua Mātaitai Reserve [PDF, 690 KB]
Map of proposed Mātaitai Reserves - Te Kaio Extension and Māherua [PDF, 788 KB]
Making your submission
Submissions close at 5pm on Friday 3 July 2026.
Email your submission to FMSubmissions@mpi.govt.nz
State in your submission which of the proposed mātaitai reserves, or both, your submission relates to.
While we prefer email, you can post your submission to:
Fisheries management – spatial allocations
Fisheries New Zealand
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140.
Public notices about this consultation
Public notices about the meeting with the local community and the call for submissions are scheduled to appear in:
The Press
- 21 May 2026
- 3 June 2026.
The Akaroa Mail
- 29 May 2026
- 12 June 2026.
Local community meetings
Two meetings will be held with the local community to discuss the applications. These meetings will be held at:
- Te Mata Hapuku (Birdling Flat Hall), 157 Poranui Beach Road, Little River 7591, at 6pm on Tuesday 16 June 2026.
- The Little River Domain Clubrooms, Christchurch Akaroa Road, Banks Peninsula, Little River, 7591, at 6pm on Wednesday 17 June 2026.
A second consultation is planned
After the local community consultation period has closed, Fisheries New Zealand will hold a second consultation.
This will invite written submissions from people who take fish, aquatic life, or seaweed or own quota and whose ability to take fish, aquatic life, or seaweed, or whose ownership interest in quota may be affected by the proposed mātaitai reserves.
The second consultation will be advertised in the same newspapers and on this website.
About mātaitai reserves
A mātaitai reserve is an identified traditional fishing ground which tangata whenua have a special relationship with.
Mātaitai reserves are limited to fisheries waters and do not include any land area. Mātaitai reserves do not change any existing arrangements for access to private land.
Mātaitai reserves do not affect private landowners’ land titles or their ability to exercise resource consents for such things as taking water or extracting gravel or sand. Resource consents are managed under the Resource Management Act 1991.
Find out more about mātaitai reserves
Fisheries (South Island Customary Fishing) Regulations 1999 – NZ Legislation
Recreational fishing
Mātaitai reserves do not change the recreational fishing rules. However, the tangata tiaki/kaitiaki for a mātaitai reserve may propose changes to the rules at a later date. These are called mātaitai reserve bylaws. Any proposed bylaws will be consulted on separately with the public and relevant stakeholders. They need to be approved by the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries.
Commercial fishing
Commercial fishing is generally banned in a mātaitai reserve. However, the applicants have proposed conditions to allow some commercial fishing activities to continue. The proposed conditions are set out in section 5 of each application.
