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Second notice of applications for 5 mātaitai reserves along the West Coast of the South Island

Update – 13 July 2023

Minister's decision

Following consultation, the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries has declared 5 mātaitai reserves along the west coast of the South Island. The reserves come into effect on 8 August 2023.

Commercial fishing in these mātaitai reserves is prohibited under regulation 24(2) of the Fisheries (South Island Customary Fishing) Regulations 1999, but there are some exceptions.

Commercial fishing exceptions for the reserves 

For all 5 mātaitai reserves:

  • Commercial fishing vessels can anchor.
  • Fish taken commercially outside the mātaitai reserves can be processed inside the mātaitai reserves.

For the Paringa, Popotai Taumaka, Ōkahu and Tauneke mātaitai reserves:

  • Commercial fishing for rock lobster may continue.
  • The use of commercial rock lobster holding pots may continue.

For the Ōkahu Mātaitai Reserve, fish taken commercially outside the Ōkahu Mātaitai Reserve may to be landed inside the Ōkahu Mātaitai Reserve.

Reserve maps and Gazette notices

Ōkahu Mātaitai reserve map [PDF, 4.2 MB]

Ōkahu Mātaitai Gazette notice

Paringa Mātaitai reserve map [PDF, 4.4 MB]

Paringa Mātaita Gazette notice

Popotai Taumaka Mātaitai reserve map [PDF, 1 MB]

Popotai Taumaka Mātaitai Gazette notice

Tauneke Mātaitai reserve map [PDF, 1.6 MB]

Tauneke Mātaitai Gazette notice

Mikonui Mātaitai reserve map [PDF, 1.9 MB]

Mikonui Mātaitai Gazette notice

Consultation background

We sought your feedback on 5 applications for mātaitai reserves along the west coast of the South Island.

Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio applied for mātaitai reserves at:

  • Paringa
  • Popotai Taumaka (Open Bay Islands)
  • Ōkahu (Jackson Bay)
  • Tauneke (Barn Islands).

Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio and Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Waewae jointly applied for a mātaitai reserve at Mikonui (Ross).

Fisheries New Zealand invited 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 might have been affected by any of the proposed mātaitai reserves.

Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Waewae and Fisheries New Zealand previously consulted with the local community on the applications.

Find out more about the consultation with the local community (closed 10 March 2022)

Commercial fishing is generally banned within a mātaitai, however the rūnanga have requested conditions to allow some commercial fishing activities to continue. The proposed conditions are set out in the application documents.

Application documents for the proposed reserves

Application for a mātaitai reserve at Paringa [PDF, 496 KB]

Application for a mātaitai reserve at Popotai Taumaka [PDF, 387 KB]

Application for a mātaitai reserve at Ōkahu [PDF, 474 KB]

Application for a mātaitai reserve at Tauneke [PDF, 462 KB]

Application for a mātaitai reserve at Mikonui [PDF, 311 KB]

Area of the proposed Paringa mātaitai reserve

All that area of South Island fisheries waters enclosed by a line:

  1. starting at a point on the mean high-water mark near Knights Point (at 43°42.707'S and 169°13.792'E); then
  2. proceeding in a straight line in a north-westerly direction for approximately 0.98 km, to a point offshore (at 43°42.227'S and 169°13.517'E), then
  3. proceeding in a straight line in a north-easterly direction for approximately 11.87 km, to a point offshore approximately south-west of Piakatu Point (at 43°39.156'S and 169°21.272'E), then
  4. proceeding in a straight line in a north north-easterly direction for approximately 2.1 km, to a point offshore approximately west of Awataikato Point (at 43°38.190'S and 169°22.090'E), then
  5. proceeding in a straight line in a north-easterly direction for approximately 5.47 km, to a point offshore approximately north of Tititira Head (at 43°36.920'S and 169°25.760'E), then
  6. proceeding in a straight line in an east north-easterly direction for approximately 4.65 km, to a point offshore approximately north of Buttress Point (at 43°36.720'S and 169°29.206'E), then
  7. proceeding in a straight line in a southerly direction to a point on the mean high-water mark near Buttress Point (at 43°37.318'S and 169°29.210'E), then
  8. proceeding along the mean high-water mark in a generally south-westerly direction to the starting point.

The proposed area includes the fisheries waters around Hanata Island and the Abbey Rocks.

The proposed area is approximately 23.52 square kilometres, with an approximate 28.04km coastline.

Map of the proposed Paringa mātaitai reserve [PDF, 4.4 MB]

Area of the proposed Popotai Taumaka  mātaitai reserve

All that area of South Island fisheries waters enclosed by a line every point of which is 1.5km from the mean high-water mark of the Open Bay Islands. The fisheries water around Bignell Reef are included in the proposed area.

Map of the proposed Popotai Taumaka mātaitai reserve [PDF, 1.9 MB]

Area of the proposed Ōkahu mātaitai reserve

All that area of South Island Fisheries Waters enclosed by a line:

  1. starting at a point on the mean high-water mark at Homminy Point (at 43°58.447'S and 168°34.065'E), then
  2. proceeding in a straight line in a northerly direction for approximately 725 m to a point offshore (at 43°58.057'S and 168°34.025'E), then
  3. proceeding in a straight line in a north-easterly direction to a point offshore  approximately 675 m to the north of Jackson Head (at 43°57.216'S and 168°37.601'E), then
  4. proceeding in a straight line in a south-easterly direction to a point on the mean high-water mark at Neil’s Beach (at 43°59.742'S and 168°39.457'E), then
  5. proceeding along the mean high-water mark in a generally north-westerly direction to the starting point.

The proposed area is approximately 10.62 square kilometres, with an approximate 14.73km coastline.

Map of the proposed Ōkahu mātaitai reserve [PDF, 1.2 MB]

Area of the proposed Tauneke mātaitai reserve

All that area of South Island fisheries waters enclosed by a line:

  1. starting at a point on the mean high-water mark near the mouth of Big Cascade Creek (at 44°05.751'S and 168°18.092'E); then
  2. proceeding in a straight line in a northerly direction for approximately 1.9km, to a point offshore to the northwest of the exposed rocks of the Barn Islands (at 44°04.715'S and 168°18.038'E); then
  3. proceeding in a straight line in a north-easterly direction to a point on the mean high-water mark at Watson Bluff (at 44°04.311'S and 168°19.305'E); then
  4. proceeding along the mean high-water mark in a generally south-westerly direction to the starting point.

The proposed area includes the fisheries waters around the Barn Islands and The Sugar Loaf.

The proposed area is approximately 3.6 square kilometres.

Map of the proposed Tauneke mātaitai reserve [PDF, 2.9 MB]

Area of the proposed Mikonui (Ross) mātaitai reserve

All that area of South Island fisheries waters enclosed by a line:

  1. starting at a point on the mean high-water mark near the mouth of the Mikonui River (at 42°54.208'S and 170°45.516'E), then
  2. proceeding in a straight line in a north-westerly direction for approximately 0.5km to a point offshore (at 42°54.074'S and 170°45.213'E), then
  3. proceeding in a generally north-easterly direction along a line every point of which is approximately 0.5km from the mean high-water mark, for approximately 4.5 km, to a point offshore (at 42°52.624'S and 170°47.738'E), then
  4. proceeding in a straight line in a south-easterly direction to a point on the mean high-water mark, approximately 215m to the north-east of the end of Ross Beach Road (at 42°52.748'S and 170°48.029'E), then
  5. proceeding along the mean high-water mark in a generally south-westerly direction to the starting point.

The proposed area is approximately 1.8 square kilometres.

Map of the proposed Mikonui mātaitai reserve [PDF, 15 MB]

Public notices about this consultation

Public notices calling for submissions were scheduled to appear in:

  • Christchurch Press on 9 April 2022
  • Otago Daily Times on 9 April 2022
  • Greymouth Star on 9 April 2022
  • Hokitika Guardian on 11 April 2022
  • Central Otago Times on 14 April 2022.

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 – NZ Legislation

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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