A convoy of boats will travel across Auckland on November 22 in protest of the new Hauraki Gulf Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Act, which came into force last weekend. The Act restricts recreational fishing in 12 high-protection areas of the Gulf, while commercial and Māori customary fishing remain allowed.
The protest is organised by the One Ocean group, which says the law pushes recreational fishers further offshore into unfamiliar areas. On Great Barrier Island, locals have been talking about the lack of new protection areas near the island and have noticed an increase in boats since the Act came into force.
Ben Chissell, organiser of the One Ocean Protest, said the group sees the new restrictions as unfair. “It’s the public versus the government,” he said. “It’s about the rules being made for us, not by us.”
“People just wanting to catch a feed for their whānau or enjoy a day on the water are now being pushed further offshore into unfamiliar areas,” said Scott Malcon, a long-standing tackle industry representative, who’ll be among the convoy a recreational vessels.
Professor Simon Thrush of the University of Auckland, who advised on the legislation, said the law represents a start for marine conservation. “The value of the ocean is not just what you eat,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that limited commercial fishing can still take place in two of the twelve areas, but it’s better that we’ve got protection measures across a much larger portion of the Gulf.”
Seafood NZ and the New Zealand Federation of Commercial Fishermen have defended the limited commercial activity as a transition measure for a small number of local ring-net fishers.
