The fishing sector emphasizes the need for a science and cooperation approach to protect the Gulf's taonga (treasure)

New Zealand Passes Hauraki Gulf Protection Law with Fishery Exemption

NEW ZEALAND
Friday, October 10, 2025, 01:00 (GMT + 9)

Fishing Industry Welcomes Measure that Increases Seafloor Protection to 37% While Allowing Low-Impact Ring Net Fishing

The fishing industry representative body, Seafood New Zealand, has welcomed the passing of the amended Tīkapa Moana / Hauraki Gulf Marine Protection Bill (the Bill) after it passed its third reading in the House. This development, while celebrated for increasing protected areas, includes an amendment that has been controversial for environmental groups: the preservation of limited access for low-impact ring net fishing within the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park.

Map showing the new marine reserves, high protection areas, and seafloor protection zones established under the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill. Image / Department of Conservation. Click on the map to enlarge it

Seafloor Protection and Community Access

The Bill establishes new protection areas, raising the total protected seafloor area from 27% to 37%. Specifically, the legislation aims to restore the mauri (life force) of the Gulf by creating 12 Highly Protected Areas (HPAs) where most fishing is prohibited, and 5 Seafloor Protection Areas (SPAs) that ban bottom-contact fishing.

Seafood New Zealand Chief Executive, Lisa Futschek, applauded the Government's approach, noting a balance between environmental goals and the needs of local communities.

"We applaud this acknowledgement of the importance of balancing environmental objectives with the needs of local communities for quality, affordable protein. Ring net fishing is a low-impact type of fishing that involves around half a dozen very small commercial boats... The fishers set and haul their nets by hand, and there is little opportunity to catch anything other than the fish species they are targeting. These fishers are supplying fish to Kiwis in local communities," Futschek stated.

The amendment, added in the final stages, specifically allows a limited number of operators to continue ring net fishing in some of the HPAs. This exception is justified by new data on small-scale fishing and the need to maintain supply to Auckland communities and marae. This provision is subject to review after three years.

Land-Based Pollution: The Fishing Sector’s Focus

While attention has been concentrated on fishing restrictions, the industry insists that the greatest threats to the Gulf stem from land-based pollution.

The research vessel, Kaharoa II, operated in the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, filming underwater habitats last year

Futschek highlighted the issue of nutrients and sedimentation: "We are keen now to see real action to address all the activities affecting the health of the Gulf. An average 3,726 tonnes of nitrogen are discharged into the Firth of Thames each year. This degree of discharge has not changed substantially in over 20 years."

Independent sources support this concern, noting that the main rivers flowing into the Firth of Thames drain the Hauraki Plains, one of New Zealand's most intensively farmed areas (primarily dairy farming), resulting in a high load of nitrogen and sediments. Sediment monitoring in the Gulf has shown that only 38% of studied sites have good or better benthic health.

The fishing sector emphasizes the need for a science and cooperation approach to protect the Gulf's taonga (treasure), an area that already has 30% of its ocean space designated as marine protected areas, with trawling prohibited in those zones.

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