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Request for a further temporary closure of Maunganui Bay to fishing (except kina)

Request to extend the closure

Pursuant to section 186A of the Fisheries Act 1996, Fisheries New Zealand has received a request from Te Kupenga o Ngati Kuta and Patukeha ki Te Rawhiti for a further 2-year temporary closure of Maunganui Bay, Bay of Islands, to the take of all fisheries resources, except kina. The current temporary closure is due to expire on 13 October 2018.

Background to the request

Section 186A provides that the Minister of Fisheries may 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.

Te Kupenga o Ngati Kuta and Patukeha ki Te Rawhiti consider that a further 2-year closure will provide continued statutory support for a traditional rāhui (traditional closure) placed over the bay in 2009, and continue to improve the quality and quantity of fauna and flora in the bay.

The area covered by the closure

The proposed temporary closure covers all that area of New Zealand fisheries waters enclosed by a line:

  • commencing at Kariparipa Point on the mean high-water mark (35°11.350'S and 174°17.550'E), then
  • proceeding in a straight line due west to a point offshore (35°11.350'S and 174°17.505'E), then
  • proceeding in a straight line in a south‑westerly direction to a point offshore off the western side of Motuwheteke Island (35°12.010'S and 174°17.280'E), then
  • proceeding in a straight line in a south-south-easterly direction to a point offshore (35°12.265'S and 174°17.310'E), then
  • proceeding in a straight line due east to the mean high-water mark, then
  • proceeding along the mean high-water mark to the point of commencement.

The proposed temporary closure covers about 1.6 square kilometres. 

A detailed map of the proposed area is available for download. Or you can ask for a copy to be sent to you.

Maunganui Bay temporary closure map [PDF, 2.6 MB]

Have your say – make a submission

Written submissions in response to this request are invited from persons who have an interest in the species concerned or in the effects of fishing in the area concerned.

A public notice calling for written submissions was published in The Northern Advocate on Wednesday 9 May 2018.

The closing date for submissions is Monday 11 June 2018.

Submissions should be sent to:

Customary Fisheries and Spatial Allocations
Fisheries New Zealand
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140.

Or by email to FMSubmissions@mpi.govt.nz

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 (refer to 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 MPI makes to withhold information can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may tell us to release it.