The closing date for the second notice of an application for a mātaitai reserve surrounding Moutohorā Island and the Rurima Island Group, Bay of Plenty, is Monday, 27 January 2025.
In 2011, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa (Ngāti Awa) applied for a mātaitai reserve surrounding Moutohorā Island (Whale Island), and the Rurima Island Group in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.
Fisheries New Zealand want to receive updated views on the application.
Ngāti Awa and Fisheries New Zealand held a public meeting to discuss the application and invite submissions on the proposal from the local community.
This was the first of 2 consultation rounds that was held about the application.
The proposed area included the New Zealand fisheries waters around Moutohorā Island (Whale Island), and the Rurima Island Group (Rurima, Moutoki, and Tokata), with the offshore boundaries extending to approximately 500 metres. The total proposed area is approximately 7.6 square kilometres.
In 2011, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa (Ngāti Awa) lodged the Rurima – Moutohorā mātaitai reserve application. At that time, the proposed offshore boundaries extended to 1 nautical mile.
Fisheries New Zealand consulted on the application 3 times between 2012 and 2016, resulting in Ngāti Awa reducing the size of the proposed area to address concerns of commercial fishers.
In 2018, the then Minister for Oceans and Fisheries deferred a decision on the application due to its potential impact on commercial fishers. Ngāti Awa stated that further reductions of the proposed area would erode their capacity to exercise customary rights and impair their ability to meet their obligation of kaitiakitanga over their important customary fishing grounds.
In 2024, Ngāti Awa and Fisheries New Zealand agreed to proceed with the application with the offshore boundaries extending to approximately 500 metres.
Ngāti Awa and Fisheries New Zealand consulted on the application to ensure the local community were given the opportunity to provide contemporary views on the application.
Map of proposed Rurima and Moutohorā Island mātaitai reserve [PDF, 2.3 MB]
Te Rūnanga o Ngāti awa mātaitai application [PDF, 7.5 MB]
Note 1: Te Rae o Kohi Mātaitai Reserve was established in 2018.
Note 2: The list of nominated kaitiaki will be updated.
The local community was invited to attend a public meeting to discuss the application.
Time: 5.30pm.
Date: Wednesday 21 August 2024.
Venue: Te Whare o Toroa (Wairaka) Marae, 97 Muriwai Drive, Whakatāne.
Public notices about the meeting with the local community and the call for submissions were scheduled to appear in the Whakatāne Beacon on 31 July and 14 August 2024.
A mātaitai reserve is an identified traditional fishing ground which tangata whenua have a special relationship with. Mātaitai reserves are limited to fisheries waters and do not include any land area. Mātaitai reserves do not change any existing arrangements for access to private land.
Mātaitai reserves also do not affect private landowners’ land titles, or their ability to exercise resource consents for such things as taking water or extracting gravel or sand. Resource consents are managed under the Resource Management Act 1991.
Mātaitai reserves do not change the existing recreational fishing rules however commercial fishing is banned in a mātaitai reserve.
Mātaitai reserves do not have any impact on whitebait or trout fishing.
Find out more about mātaitai reserves
Fisheries (Kaimoana Customary Fishing) Regulations 1998 – NZ Legislation
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