All you need to know: Hauraki Gulf Protection Bill

Source: NZ Department of Conservation

The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Act officially passed into law on Saturday 25^th of October. It’s important that you have a good grasp on what the protection act is, why it’s coming into effect and what it means for you.

What’s the problem?

There’s no sugar-coating it — the Gulf’s been doing it tough.

Years of overfishing, pollution, sediment washing in from the land, and the growing impacts of climate change have really taken their toll. The State of the Gulf reports paint a pretty clear picture: things have been sliding downhill for a while. We’re seeing more kina barrens popping up, precious habitats disappearing, and local fish stocks struggling to bounce back.

Yeah, that’s pretty bad.

What’s the Act’s purpose?

The new act is more than a bit of a game changer – it’s the biggest boost to Aotearoa’s marine protection in more than a decade.

This law is all about focusing on key habitats where sea life breed and grow and restoring the mauri (life force) of the Gulf and giving its marine life a fighting chance. The new network of protected areas focuses on safeguarding rare and important habitats – the kinds that act as nurseries for young fish, to help rebuild fish stocks over time. These habitats support whole communities of species like the rich reef systems around The Noises.

It’s a big step towards bringing the Gulf back to life, so future generations can enjoy clear waters, thriving sea life, and a healthy, resilient ecosystem.

To recap, here’s what’s included in the new protection network:

• Two expanded marine reserves – adding to the iconic Te Whanganui-o-Hei (Cathedral Cove) and Cape Rodney–Okakari Point (Goat Island) reserves.
• 12 High Protection Areas (HPAs) – these spots are all about restoring marine habitats and ecosystems, with room for active habitat restoration and customary practices by tangata whenua.
• Five Seafloor Protection Areas (SPAs) – these safeguard seafloor habitats while still allowing low-impact activities like non-bottom-contact fishing.

What does this mean for me?

The new network of marine protections across the Hauraki Gulf is designed to give the ocean a real chance to recover. Each type of protection plays a different role in helping restore the Gulf’s health and mauri.

High Protection Areas (HPAs)

These areas are all about protecting and restoring marine life by easing the pressure from human activity. Unlike a marine reserve, which creates an area with no human input – even to help the ecosystem – mainly for research purposes, a High Protection Area allows us to do conservation in these areas to improve the habitat. This could be things that kickstart a healthier ecosystem like removing kina from kina barrens or reseeding shellfish beds.  

In an HPA, you can still get out there and enjoy the moana – swimming, kayaking, snorkelling, or carefully anchoring your boat – but fishing and taking seafood are off the cards. Even collecting by hand or diving for kai moana isn’t allowed. There are a couple of limited exceptions: in two areas – Rangitoto and Motutapu HPA and Kawau HPA – small-scale commercial ring-net fishing for species: kahawai, mullet, and trevally is still allowed for 6 months of the year under strict conditions, and it’ll be reviewed after three years.

Seafloor Protection Areas (SPAs)

SPAs focus on what’s happening on the seabed – protecting fragile seafloor habitats like sponge gardens and corals – even sandy areas, there’s a lot of life there.

Recreational fishers CAN fish in a Seafloor Protection Area.

You can still enjoy low-impact activities like line fishing, diving, surf-casting from the beach or gathering by hand, as long as you’re not disturbing the seafloor. SPAs stop heavy-impact activities like bottom trawling or dredging, which can cause serious damage. It also limits things like sand-mining, drilling, aquaculture, and discharging sewerage and waste.

In the Mokohīnau Islands SPA, a few extra rules apply – no set netting, potting, or bottom longlining – to make sure these unique underwater ecosystems stay intact.

Marine Reserves

Marine reserves are the Gulf’s most protected zones —safe havens for sea life and research hubs for scientists. No fishing, collecting, or disturbing marine habitats is allowed here. These areas are left completely untouched so that ecosystems can function naturally and researchers can study them. .

Feeding fish, removing shells or rocks, or dumping waste is also off-limits — it’s all about letting nature do its thing.

What have we done to make these rules easy to follow?

Firstly, we’ve put together a great web resource that gives a thorough overview of the new protections, with links to the technical analysis for the new rules and programmes of work that have fed into these new changes. This is a fantastic starting place to understand the new Act and how it will work.

We’ve also created an overview map of the new rules and boundaries in the Gulf which you can preview below, but you can also find a PDF file link to this overview as well as GPS files in GPX format to download too – So these updates can be integrated into your GPS system while you’re out in the Gulf.

This goes for all High Protection, Seafloor Protection areas and marine reserve extensions as well – We have both PDF files and GPS files in GPX format available to download.

Download the maps here

In addition to this, the free Marine Mate App is being updated with all the new rules and protection areas, so we recommend downloading this to your devices too. If you notice things are buggy or might be incorrect on the app, it’s best to contact Marine Mate so they can make sure it’s sorted out for you and other users too.

Why have we allowed commercial fishing in HPA’s?

As stated above, recreational or commercial fishing is NOT allowed in HPA’s. However, there are limited exceptions in 2 of the 12 areas, for a handful of small-scale, authorised commercial fishing operators allowed to conduct ring-net operations. They can only fish between 1 March to 31 August, and they can only target kahawai, trevally and/or grey mullet. The area they are allowed to fish in represents 3% of the total protected area under this act. Even with these exceptions, the wider network of protected areas we have now is much greater that what we had before.

Regulations will be in place soon that will outline further conditions.  

What are Customary Fishing Rights and why are they allowed in the Gulf?

Authorised customary fishing can take place in High Protection Areas. This recognises and supports Māori cultural knowledge, learning, and kaitiakitanga (guardianship) of the marine environment. Customary non-commercial rights are guaranteed under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and are managed under the Fisheries Act 1996.

Customary fishing can only happen with written approval from a tangata kaitiaki/tiaki — local guardians who manage customary fishing within their rohe moana (area). It must also be for a customary purpose, such as a hui or tangi.

The small amount of customary fishing that happens in the Gulf isn’t expected to affect the conservation goals of the new protection areas.

It’s worth noting that tangata whenua have been strong advocates for Tīkapa Moana/ Te Moananui-a-Toi. They have laid rāhui, backed up by Fisheries closures, in areas where shellfish are struggling. They have taken action to restore shellfish beds. They have been invested in fighting the invasive caulerpa seaweed which smoothers life beneath it.

For more details, visit the Ministry for Primary Industries – Māori customary fishing page

Customary fishing is not new, it is already authorised and regulated under Fisheries legislation. Customary fishing in these areas will be regulated under the same provisions. Customary fishers will need customary fishing authorisations.

Whether you’re a boatie, diver, fisher, or weekend explorer, it’s now up to all of us to learn the new rules and play our part in protecting this incredible place.

Before you head out on the water, take a few minutes to check the latest maps, download the GPS files, or use the Marine Mate app to make sure you know where the new boundaries are. A bit of prep now means fewer surprises later — and helps keep the Gulf on its road to recovery.

The changes coming into effect this weekend are a big step forward, but the real success of the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana will come from what we all do next. Respect the rules, share them with your mates and whānau, and help give the Gulf the future it deserves.

Because when the Gulf thrives — we all do.

Learn about the purpose and history of the protections

Learn about what you can and can’t do in the Gulf

Learn about the government action plan to restore the Gulf

MIL OSI