Your views sought
Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa (Ngāti Awa) has applied for a mātaitai reserve surrounding Moutohorā Island (Whale Island), and the Rurima Island Group in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.
Fisheries New Zealand invites submissions from persons having a fishing interest in the stock or stocks in the proposed mātaitai reserve.
Ngāti Awa and Fisheries New Zealand have previously consulted with the local community on the application.
Find out about the first consultation with the local community (closed 16 September 2024)
What area is being proposed?
The proposed area includes 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.
Consultation documents
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.
Making your submission
Submissions close at 5pm on Monday 27 January 2025.
Email your submission to FMSubmissions@mpi.govt.nz
While we prefer email, you can post your submission to:
Fisheries management – Spatial allocations
Fisheries New Zealand
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140.
Public notices about this consultation
Public notices about the call for submissions are scheduled to appear in the Bay of Plenty Times on 19 November, the Whakātane Beacon on 20 November, and the Ōpotiki News on 21 November 2024.
History of this application
In 2011, 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 with the local community between July and September 2024, and held a hui with the local community to discuss the application on 21 August 2024.
Find out about the consultation with the local community (closed 16 September 2024)
About mātaitai reserves
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 an impact on whitebait or trout fishing.
Find out more about mātaitai reserves
Fisheries (Kaimoana Customary Fishing) Regulations 1998 – NZ Legislation
