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Establishing south-eastern South Island marine protected areas

UPDATES

3 June 2020: Consultation recommenced

A new public consultation on the proposed marine protected area (MPA) network started 3 June 2020 and will run until 3 August 2020. If you made a submission in February, March, or April, you will be contacted and given the option of resubmitting, withdrawing, or updating that submission.

9 April 2020: Consultation postponed

This consultation has been postponed with a view to resuming it at a later date.

This is because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The postponement of the consultation was considered necessary because the public can no longer participate in the consultation process in the usual way.

Fisheries New Zealand will work with DOC on a plan for future consultation.

Media release: Marine protection consultation postponed

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 good reasons for withholding them. 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 is 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.

MPI may post all or parts of any written submission on its website. We'll consider that you have consented to its publication unless clearly stated otherwise in your submission.  

Background to this consultation

In May 2019, the ministers announced their intention to progress the network of marine reserves and marine protected areas. The network is based on Network 1 – one of 2 options put forward by the South-East Marine Protection Forum/Roopu Manaaki ki te Toka in 2018 for marine protection for the region.

Find out more

South eastern South Island marine protection – DOC