Why it matters
The Hauraki Gulf is an incredible place, globally recognised for the diversity of its wildlife, including whales, dolphins, and seabirds.
This ocean world, right on our doorstep, supports the people of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and beyond, providing well-being, recreation, and livelihoods. Its kaimoana has fed generations of whānau and communities.
But the Hauraki Gulf is in crisis. Waters that once shimmered with vast schools of trevally and snapper, and reefs that bristled with crayfish, are now overfished. Bottom trawling continues to destroy the seabed, leaving behind an underwater desert. Every time it rains, sewage, heavy metals and mud flow into the gulf from our cities, farms, and industries, making it unswimmable for humans and increasingly harmful to the wildlife that lives in it.
The need for action is urgent. Working with mana whenua and other conservation partners, we are calling for:
- 30% marine protection
- a plan of action to reduce sedimentation entering the marine environment
- an end to bottom trawling.
Show your love for our precious Hauraki Gulf Tīkapa Moana. Protect what you love.
What can you do
Protection areas
The Tīkapa Moana / Hauraki Gulf Marine Protection Bill – more than a decade in the making – will establish two marine reserves, five seafloor protection areas, and 12 high protection areas in the Hauraki Gulf, while acknowledging customary rights within seafloor protection areas and high protection areas.
Currently, only 0.3% of the Hauraki Gulf is under high protection. This will increase to 6% high protection once the bill is passed into law.
But now the Government is ramming through a last-minute change to allow commercial fishing in high protection zones – a change that goes against the Environment Select Committee's unanimous recommendations. This will set a dangerous precedent of compromising the integrity of high protection areas, instead treating them like managed fisheries zones.
Marine protected areas should be for replenishing our taonga species, not for commercial fishing.
We're calling on Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to intervene and stop this amendment.
Ban bottom trawling
Trawling through a marine park is like taking a bulldozer to land in a national park. Large, weighted nets and doors scrape across the seafloor to scoop up anything in its path, leaving damaged habitats unable to support abundant life. This destructive fishing method has no place in the Gulf.
Forest & Bird is part of the Hauraki Gulf Alliance, advocating for a complete ban on bottom trawling in Tīkapa Moana.
Take action
- Sign up to receive updates and be notified of actions you can take
- Make a donation to support our efforts
Credit or caption
Filmed, produced and edited by Sharron Ward/Katalyst Productions. Drone by Sam Carroll.
