LegaSea is appalled that Government officials have decided that some commercial fishers will have exclusive access to fish in the proposed High Protected Areas of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park. If they press ahead this means commercial and Māori customary fishers will be permitted to fish within Kawau Bay and the Noises while your boat gathers dust in the shed.

The name ‘High Protection Areas’ (HPAs) seems quite ironic given that these new proposals offer hardly any protection to depleted populations of schooling fish. They will however restrict where local families can go fishing to catch dinner.

The Hauraki Gulf Marine Protection Bill creates 19 new marine protected areas around the Gulf. What wasn’t a part of the initial discussions in 2023 is the recent proposal to allow gill netting within the HPAs in Kawau Bay, around the Noises and Motutapu, while restricting public fishing.

This last minute change is shocking. The process of developing a plan to restore the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park has been in the works for more than a decade. During this time it was never discussed that commercial netting would be allowed in any protected areas.

Officials are doing everything to avoid making the necessary changes to restore marine life in the Park. To rebuild fish abundance and biodiversity, commercial catch limits must be reduced to more sustainable levels.

Keep calm and carry on, it’ll only be “ring netting” in the HPAs, assures Shane Jones, Minister for Oceans and Fisheries. Ring netting is gill netting. It may not be as destructive as trawling, but it is still an indiscriminate fishing method, a virtual small scale version of purse seining; likely targeting baitfish, kahawai, grey mullet and other surface schooling fish.

According to Seafood NZ the fish caught in these HPAs will still end up on Kiwi families’ dinner plates. To fit in with his chums, Minister Shane Jones claims that the proposals will “provide essential protein for Māori and Pacific Island communities in South Auckland”.

The truth says otherwise, as more than 80% of all commercially harvested fish is exported. Another truth is that families who are already doing it tough can’t afford to pay a mere fortune for high quality protein.

It’s appalling that our Marine Park is now being manipulated to deny us access to our very own food basket, especially during a cost-of-living crisis. It seems the government’s priorities aren’t to increase the abundance in our coastal waters, but to risk it all by putting commercial interests above everything else.

Why is it such a big ask to just leave more fish in the water, and maintain Kiwi’s access to catching a feed?

Officials have indicated that there will be some public consultation before the Bill is enacted, but don’t wait until then to make your voice heard. Tell the Prime Minister how you feel about the proposal here and join us as we fight to put Kiwis first.