Application for Ruapuke mātaitai reserve, Foveaux Strait, Southland

UPDATES

11 July 2024 – Second consultation on the application for mātaitai reserve

Topi Whānau, Whaitiri Whānau, and Te Rūnaka o Awarua have applied for a new mātaitai reserve around the Ruapuke Island Group, Foveaux Strait.

The closing date for submissions is 5pm on Monday, 19 August 2024.

More information and to have your say

27 June 2023 – Public meeting postponed and written submission date extended

The public meeting on Tuesday 04 July 2023, at Te Rau Aroha Marae, has been postponed, a new date for this meeting will be confirmed. However, submissions are still open and extended until 4 September 2023.

Consultation background

Topi Whānau, Whaitiri Whānau, and Awarua Rūnanga applied for a mātaitai reserve around Ruapuke Island, Foveaux Strait.

Fisheries New Zealand, Topi Whānau, Whaitiri Whānau, and Awarua Rūnanga held a public meeting discussing the application and invited submissions on the proposal from the local community.

This is the first of 2 consultations that was held about the application.

What was proposed?

The approximate area of the proposed mātaitai reserve included the South Island fisheries waters around Ruapuke Island, Green Island, the Breaksea Islands, the Hazelburgh Group, Bird Island, White Island and Lee Island, and includes the nearby named and unnamed rocks and islets.

Consultation documents

Map of the proposed Ruapuke mātaitai reserve [PDF, 577 KB]

Application from Topi Whānau, Whaitiri Whānau and Awarua Rūnanga about the Ruapuke mātaitai reserve [PDF, 266 KB]

Discussion about potential mātaitai reserve bylaws

When a mātaitai reserve is established, the recreational fishing rules do not change. However, the Tangata Tiaki for a mātaitai reserve may propose changes to the rules at a later date. These are called mātaitai reserve bylaws.

The nominated Tangata Tiaki for the proposed Ruapuke mātaitai reserve would like to discuss with the local community potential bylaws at the public meeting. These may include, for example, seaweed and shellfish gathering prohibitions, reductions in the shellfish and finfish daily bag limits, method restrictions, area closures, increased size limits, and recreational reporting.

Any proposed bylaws will be consulted on separately, and the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries must approve them.

About mātaitai reserves

A mātaitai reserve is an identified traditional fishing ground and is established for the purpose of customary food gathering. 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 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.

Find out more about mātaitai reserves

Fisheries (South Island Customary Fishing) Regulations 1999

Submissions are public information

Note that all, part, or a summary of your submission may be published on this website. Most often this happens when we issue a document that reviews the submissions received.

People can also ask for copies of submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we must make the content of submissions available unless we have good reason for withholding it. Those reasons are detailed in sections 6 and 9 of the OIA.

If you think there are grounds to withhold specific information from publication, make this clear in your submission or contact us. Reasons may include that it discloses commercially sensitive or personal information. However, any decision MPI makes to withhold details can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may direct us to release it.

Official Information Act 1982 – NZ Legislation