Legislation enhancing marine protections in the Hauraki Gulf has successfully passed its third reading.
The Hauraki Gulf Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill continues decades of work to safeguard the gulf from the harmful impacts of human activities.
It expands two existing marine reserves, where the removal of any marine life is banned, and creates five seafloor protection areas (SPAs) where disturbance of the ocean floor is not allowed.
The bill additionally designates 12 high protection areas (HPAs) where various activities, including the majority of commercial and recreational fishing, are forbidden.
These HPAs have sparked controversy following a late-stage amendment by the coalition that granted exclusive access to two of them for commercial ring-net fishing operators.
Opposition parties raised concerns about this exception in their speeches, yet all parties in Parliament ultimately voted in favour of the bill.
“For years, communities and people across the political divide have despaired at the effects of the Gulf’s long-standing ecological decline, leading to desolate kina barrens and habitat loss,” Environment Minister Tama Potaka said.
“Today, National has delivered the biggest new marine protection area in more than a decade for Aotearoa New Zealand. We’ve taken a once-in-a-generation step to turn around the health of the gulf by nearly tripling marine protection and creating 19 new protection areas.”
Potaka said the public can anticipate the rebuilding of tāmure (snapper) and kōura (rock lobster) populations over the coming decades, along with healthier kelp forests and seabird colonies.
Regarding the disputed exemption, he also explained that restricted local ring-net fishing for common species would be permitted in just 3% of the total 800 kilometres of high protection areas and would be reviewed after three years.
“Overall, the legislation ensures we balance the needs of communities, the environment and the economy,” Potaka added.
Maungakiekie Labour MP Priyanca Radhakrishnan stated that Labour would eliminate the exemption if they are re-elected.
“Despite the environment select committee unanimously recommending to this house that the bill be passed with no substantive change, at the 11th hour, because of some active lobbying of the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, we saw this government cave to that pressure, and they have chosen to water down the protections in the original bill.”
“Labour, in government, will reverse the change that allows ring-net fishing in those HPAs.”
Auckland Central MP Chlöe Swarbrick challenged the government’s reasoning for introducing it initially.
“These were carve-outs for ring-net fishers, which ministers justified as supposedly allowing for cheaper or more affordable fish whānau in South Auckland.”
“We interrogated this abject ridiculousness at the committee of the whole stage, and the minister could not provide us with any evidence whatsoever for those fundamentally baseless assertions.”
ACT MP Simon Court said that MPs had taken into account diverse viewpoints from conservation and fishing groups and reached a position that began the process of restoring the gulf.
“It makes sense that local commercial vessels can continue to fish in a sustainable way under the fisheries regulations and supply the people with good quality and affordable food.”
The legislation is set to take effect before year-end, supported by a new team of Department of Conservation marine rangers actively educating the public and overseeing compliance.