In 2014, the New Zealand Government appointed the South-East Marine Protection Forum (the Forum) to consider and recommend marine protection options for the southeast region of New Zealand’s South Island.

This consultation is seeking feedback on 12 proposed marine protection measures off the southeast coast of New Zealand’s South Island, which were put forward in 2018 by the Forum to the Ministers of Fisheries and Conservation. The 12 proposed marine protection measures are: 

• 6 marine reserves (Type 1 marine protected areas [MPAs]): no fishing or disturbance is permitted in a marine reserve
• 5 Type 2 MPAs: some fishing methods are permitted in a Type 2 MPA
• 1 kelp protection area: the commercial harvest of giant kelp from this area would be prohibited.

•  including the Director-General of the Department of Conservation’s detailed statutory application for the marine reserves.

We recommend you download the map, consultation document and appendices for your reference.Throughout this consultation, we provide directions to the relevant sections of these documents for your information.

The proposed marine reserves, Type 2 MPAs and kelp protection area will be assessed against relevant legislative criteria, taking into account all available and relevant information, the submissions received and the merits of the proposals. Depending on all this information, decisions about the proposed network may include: 

• status quo – not to implement the proposed protection measures
• implement the proposed network, as presented in the consultation document OR
• implement some or all of the proposed protection measures, with amendments and/or conditions.

• In the following pages you will have the opportunity to comment on the proposed protection measures as a whole, and/or comment on the specific sites that are being proposed, and/or provide general comments.

• Under the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011, any whānau, hapū or iwi exercising kaitiakitanga in a part of the common marine and coastal area affected by the proposed marine reserves has a right to participate in the process and provide their views. In the pages dealing with the specific marine reserve sites, whānau, hapū or iwi who consider they exercise kaitiakitanga are encouraged to identify themselves and submit their views.

For more information please visit https://survey.publicvoice.co.nz/s3/semp-consultation