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Proposed temporary fishery closures in the Hauraki Gulf

Have your say

Fisheries New Zealand is seeking feedback on a request for 3 temporary fishery closures in the Hauraki Gulf. The request is for areas at:

  • Waiheke Island
  • Umupuia Beach
  • Te Mātā and Waipatukahu

The request is from Ngāti Pāoa, Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, and Ngāti Tamaterā. Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea support the request as part of the project 'Pou rāhui, pou tikanga, pou oranga: reigniting the mauri of Tīkapa moana and Te Moananui-ā-Toi'. Please note that the East Coromandel request by Ngāti Hei has been withdrawn.

The temporary fishery closures have been requested under section 186A of the Fisheries Act 1996.

The requests are for 2 years.

We invite written submissions from anyone who has an interest in the species concerned or in the effects of fishing in the areas concerned.

The closure request [PDF, 1.8 MB]

Species affected by the proposed closures

Area  Iwi Prohibited species
Waiheke Island Ngāti Pāoa

Kūta (mussels), kōura (rock lobster), pāua and tipa (beach cast scallops).

The taking of other scallops is already prohibited under the Fisheries Act 1996.
Umupuia Beach Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki Tuangi (cockles)
Te Mātā and Waipatukahu Ngāti Tamaterā Tio (oysters), kūtai (mussels), pipi and tuangi (cockles)

Area boundaries of the proposed closures

Map of the proposed Waiheke Island temporary closure [PDF, 24 MB]

Map of the proposed Umupuia beach temporary closure [PDF, 1019 KB]

Map of the proposed Te Mātā and Waipatukahu temporary closure [PDF, 2.6 MB]

Related information

Section 186A of the Fisheries Act 1996 allows the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries to temporarily close an area, or temporarily restrict or prohibit the use of any fishing method in respect of an area, if satisfied that the closure, restriction, or prohibition will recognise and provide for the use and management practices of tangata whenua in the exercise of non-commercial fishing rights.

Find out more about temporary closures

Making your submission

Submissions close at 5pm on Friday 7 June 2024.

State in your submission which area or areas you are commenting on.

Email your submission to FMSubmissions@mpi.govt.nz

While we prefer email, you can post your submission to:

Spatial Allocations
Fisheries Management
Fisheries New Zealand
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140.

Public notices

A public notice about the call for submissions is scheduled to appear in the:

  • New Zealand Herald
  • Waikato Times
  • Hauraki Coromandel Post
  • Gulf News
  • Waiheke Weekender
  • Mercury Bay Informer.

Submissions are public information

Note that all, part, or a summary of your submission may be published on this website. Most often this happens when we issue a document that reviews the submissions received.

People can also ask for copies of submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we must make the content of submissions available unless we have good reason for withholding it. Those reasons are detailed in sections 6 and 9 of the OIA.

If you think there are grounds to withhold specific information from publication, make this clear in your submission or contact us. Reasons may include that it discloses commercially sensitive or personal information. However, any decision MPI makes to withhold details can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may direct us to release it.

Official Information Act 1982 – NZ Legislation

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