Successive ‘State of our Gulf’ reports highlight the serious ecological challenges facing the Hauraki Gulf, primarily due to human activities such as overfishing, resource harvesting, and pollution from land-use. In response, the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill aims to address this environmental decline by establishing five ‘seafloor protection areas,’ twelve ‘high protection areas,’ and expanding two existing no-take marine reserves.
However, this legislation allows one specific group within the community to maintain fishing rights in the misleadingly termed 'High Protection Areas' by providing for customary food gathering by tangata whenua. This is despite research indicating that the conservation advantages of no-take marine reserves significantly outweigh the modest benefits of partially protected areas. The approach taken by the Bill not only offends against established best practices in marine conservation but also undermines the principle of equality under the law.
There is a growing movement advocating for best practice in protecting the Gulf, emphasizing the necessity for fairness and equality in doing so. Will you add your voice to this cause?
