On 7 August the Hokianga Accord will be hosting its 16th hui, venue is the legendary Bay of Islands Swordfish Club in Paihia. All are welcome to attend.

LegaSea is keen to participate in a wide-ranging discussion on the Fish Forever proposal for two marine and one “scientific” reserve in the Bay of Islands. A community group, the Bay of Islands Maritime Park Inc, released their proposal in May. Their objective is to protect 10% of the enclosed BOI waters with no-take marine reserves.

It is unfortunate this proposal has been released without the support of the Swordfish Club or tangata whenua. The Hokianga Accord hui will be a good opportunity to discuss alternative management strategies, including the use of customary area management tools and potential sites that warrant the statutory protection of a no-take zone.

August 7th will also be the first opportunity to celebrate together the approval of Te Puna Mataitai, in the northern Bay of Islands. This was a hard-won initiative by local hapu and Te Runanga A Iwi O Ngapuhi, supported by recreational interests, to protect the northern waters from over-exploitation. The objective is to enable local Maori to implement measures to restore the local marine environment, so it is sufficiently abundant to provide for our future environmental, customary and recreational interests.