School of blue maomao.
Image: Brian Mackie | DOC

Revitalising the Gulf: Government action to restore the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana

Introduction

Revitalising the Gulf addresses the management of one of the country’s most valued and intensively used coastal spaces. It sets out a package of marine conservation and fisheries management actions to restore a healthy Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana.

New marine protections in the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana

Find details about the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill and the process on the New Zealand Parliament website.

Learn more about the proposed marine protections in Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana.

Revitalising the Gulf

The Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana (the Gulf) is one of our most valued coastal spaces. However, it has been badly damaged by human activities, both at sea and on the land.

This damage has caused the fish, marine life and seabird populations, and their habitats to decline. This has a huge impact on other life in the Gulf such as removing the vital resources they need to thrive. It also impacts local communities and tangata whenua, as a healthy ecosystem supports spiritual, cultural and economic wellbeing.

The ‘Revitalising the Gulf’ marine work programme aims to revitalise the area and enhance its blue waters, rocky reefs and underwater habitats.

Building on the Sea Change – Tai Timu Tai Pari Hauraki Gulf Marine Spatial Plan, this work programme encompasses valuable feedback from tangata whenua, implementation partners, and key stakeholders.

Work streams are led by DOC, and Fisheries New Zealand.

Read the full strategy:

Our action plan

The Revitalising the Gulf Strategy sets out the marine-based actions Government is taking working alongside tangata whenua, stakeholders, and local communities to restore the health of the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana.

It is guided by two overarching goals:

  • Effective kaitiakitanga and guardianship in the Gulf
  • Healthy functioning ecosystems that:
    • underpin the wellbeing and prosperity of people who live, work and play in the Gulf
    • sustain healthy fisheries that replenish and enhance the pātaka kai (food basket) for customary, recreational and commercial uses
    • regulate, support and sustain the Gulf
    • support resilient and diverse habitats and marine life.

Marine-based actions to meet our goals

There are 8 key actions in the Revitalising the Gulf strategy.

  1. Marine protection – Create and manage 19 new protection areas. This supports wildlife to recover in the most diverse areas and seafloors.
  2. Fisheries management – Develop an area-based fisheries plan for commercial, recreational and customary fishing, and their effects on the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana. Hauraki Gulf Fisheries Plan
  3. Active habitat restoration – Provide a framework to direct resources and focus work on the best ways to restore habitats.
  4. Aquaculture – Support a prosperous industry for farming fish or other wildlife in the sea, which is secure and sustainable.
  5. Marine biosecurity – Continue work to prevent and manage threats to ocean life from exotic species, contamination and diseases through the Top of the North Marine Biosecurity Partnership.
  6. Protected species – Expand the programme of management, research and monitoring of protected species.
  7. Ahu Moana – Facilitate and support tangata whenua and local communities to manage nearshore coastal areas.
  8. Governance – Establish a Cross-Agency Implementation Group comprising DOC and MPI/FNZ to oversee the actions of this strategy.

An image depicting the eight action areas to work alongside effective kaitiakitanga and guardianship. These areas include: governance, marine biodiversity, protecting species, aquaculture, fisheries management, habitat restoration, marine protection and mana whenua and communities (ahu moana).
The eight action areas that will revitalise the gulf

Tracking and supporting the strategy

The Strategy’s actions will be supported by a programme to track how well they are working. It will include research, monitoring and reporting.

The review programme will drive an adaptive management approach to deliver the best results for the Gulf.

These actions complement the Government’s non-marine work programmes such as the  Essential Freshwater work programme.

Revitalising the Gulf timeline

  • In April 2017, the Sea Change – Tai Timu Tai Pari Hauraki Gulf Marine Spatial Plan was published.
  • In July 2019, an independent Sea Change Tai Timu Tai Pari Ministerial Advisory Committee was established to provide feedback and advice to Ministers, Fisheries New Zealand and DOC.
  • In September 2020, the Committee published a report on their findings and recommendations Read the report (PDF, 504K)
  • In June 2021, the Government released the strategy to revitalise the Hauraki Gulf. Read Revitalising the Gulf: At a Glance summary (PDF, 2,131K)
  • In August 2023, The Hauraki Gulf Fisheries Plan was approved by the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries. This is New Zealand's first area-based fisheries plan and is tailored to the needs and challenges of the Gulf and its communities.

Marine protection timeline

Sea change: A plan made through collaboration

Revitalising the Gulf is in response to the 2017 Sea Change – Tai Timu Tai Pari Hauraki Gulf Marine Spatial Plan.

The 2017 Sea Change Plan was a call to action to improve the health and mauri of the Gulf.

This non-statutory plan was developed over three years by a 14-member stakeholder working group. The group represented tangata whenua, environmental groups, and the fishing, aquaculture and agriculture sectors.

The Sea Change Plan made over 180 proposals for the Gulf and its catchments across land, freshwater and marine domains. These informed the Revitalising the Gulf plan.

Find out more about Sea Change - Tai Timu Tai Pari.

Contacts

Contact the Department of Conservation at revitalisingthegulf@doc.govt.nz.

You can also contact Ministry for Primary Industries/Fisheries New Zealand at seachange@mpi.govt.nz

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