Source: NZ Department of Conservation
Date: 21 October 2025
Kirsty Prior, Operations Manager Marine, says that this summer DOC’s focus is on helping people understand the new rules and boundaries.
“We’ve got a new team of marine rangers, community rangers and a bunch of seasonal staff gearing up for summer. We’ll be heading to events, boat clubs, boats ramps and out on the water to chat about these new marine protections,” says Kirsty.
“We understand this is a big change for many in the fishing community, and we’ll be working alongside you as everyone gets familiar with the new boundaries and what they mean.
“This law is brand new. It will take time for the practical changes to take place – such as updates to electronic chart-plotting systems and installing physical markers.
“These protections are very important. They will take some pressure off crucial underwater habitats such as productive reefs and sensitive sea floors. We’re giving space for marine life to thrive, and over time this will help contribute to a healthier gulf with more fish for everyone.”
The DOC team and support vessels are based in Whitianga, Warkworth, Auckland’s North Shore and the CBD. Their role includes educating people on marine protection, undertaking compliance and monitoring changes in the underwater habitat.
“Currently the team is working to install signage at boat ramps and entry points, distributing protection area maps to local businesses such as fishing retailers, updating the DOC website, and have provided maps to chart-plotter providers to update their mapping systems,” says Kirsty.
“We expect updates to digital charts to happen when these manufacturers are able. The installation of signs and marker buoys will roll out progressively over summer and into early 2026. Fishers can find the latest maps and updates at www.doc.govt.nz/haurakigulfmarinepark.
“Our focus for now is on education and support. Compliance activity will gradually increase as people become more familiar with the new protections. This will include both on-the-water patrols and the use of drones and high zoom CCTV cameras to monitor activity in these protection areas.”
Key info on new protections for the fishing community:
“We’ve had questions about what the new protections mean for recreational fishers, and for customary fishing. Here’s a quick guide to clear things up,” says Kirsty. “While some areas now have higher protection, the majority of the Gulf remains open for recreational fishing.”
- High Protection Areas ban recreational and commercial fishing. Limited commercial ring-net fishing is permitted in only 2 of the 12 HPAs for 6 months of the year largely over winter. This will be reviewed after 3 years.
- Customary non-commercial fishing is allowed in High Protection Areas. Customary fishers require a written authorisation from a tangata kaitiaki (a local guardian for a specific area) under the Customary Fishing regulations, and fishing must be for a customary purpose such as a hui or a tangi/funeral. In recent years there has been very little customary fishing in the Gulf.
- Seafloor Protection Areas ban fishing methods that have a high impact on the seafloor such as bottom-trawling and dredging, but allow low impact methods such as line fishing and diving for seafood. To be clear: rec fishers can line fish in SPAs.
- Over 94% of the Gulf remains open to recreational fishing.
You can learn more about the marine protections: Hauraki Gulf marine protected areas.
Contact
For media enquiries contact:
Email: media@doc.govt.nz
