New Zealand Takes a Step Against the Oceanic Degradation of Hauraki Gulf

Our oceans are rich and diverse aquatic ecosystems, home to over 200,000 known species. However, the sea is not immune to neither exploitation nor the worsening climate change. In this light, the government of New Zealand aims to protect the northern part of their ocean and the marine biodiversity within by enacting the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Act in October 2025.

Protecting the Hauraki Gulf

Hauraki Gulf or Tīkapa Moana is a 1.2 million hectare marine park surrounding the Auckland and Coromandel peninsula. The shores of Hauraki Gulf are home to around 2 million people. Economically, the gulf generates approximately $2 billion annually from tourism, fishing, aquaculture, and other activities.

For the Māori (Indigenous people of New Zealand), Tīkapa Moana is more than its economic revenues. It is a taonga (treasure), ancestor, playground, and pātaka kai (pantry). Hauraki Gulf provides them with freshwater, seafood, and other taonga essential to their lives.

Thus, to preserve the natural resources in the gulf, the Māori practices kaitiakitanga, a guardianship of the environment they depend on. Mana whenua (Māori with historical and territorial rights over a land), along with other stakeholders, initiated the Sea Change – Tai Timu Tai Pari project as an effort to safeguard the future of Hauraki Gulf.

The government of New Zealand claims that the legislation of Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Act builds on the aspirations of the Sea Change – Tai Timu Tai Pari plan. According to them, such complex conservation initiatives are needed because the Hauraki Gulf is threatened with ecological collapse.

Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Act

Overfishing, seafloor disturbance, pollution, and ineffective urban planning contributed to Hauraki Gulf’s 57% decrease in key fish stocks and 67% of seabirds. Mike Lee, Auckland councillor for Waitematā and Gulf, states that to revive fish stocks and repair marine ecosystems, the gulf needs absolutely no-take zones.

Strictly off limits areas are incorporated into The Protection Act through its inclusion of two existing marine reserve extensions. Additionally, The Protection Act covers twelve new High Protected Areas (HPAs) and five new Seafloor Protected Areas (SPAs). HPAs protect selected zones from the surface of the sea to the bottom. Meanwhile, SPAs limit activities that have harmful impacts on the seafloor.

The government plans to increase marine protection in those areas from 0.3% to 5.9%. To achieve this, New Zealand’s Department of Conservation or Te Papa Atawhai will send a team to educate people about the new Protected Areas. Additionally, they will install signages at boat ramps and entry points, distribute Protected Area maps, and assist commercial chart-plotter companies to add new boundaries to their systems.

Criticisms and Way Forward

The Protection Act is not without criticisms. Many Indigenous peoples of New Zealand and environmental groups are against its legalization due to the parliamentary’s last-minute decision to allow commercial ring-net fishing in the gulf. This amendment makes the HPAs in the Kawau Bay, Rangitoto, and Motutapu still available for commercial fishing.

One of the direct consequences of incessant commercial fishing is the unnatural decrease of sea urchin’s predators like snappers and crayfish. Meanwhile, the excessive number of sea urchins might put a risk to the regeneration of kelp forests, threatening the gulf’s ecosystem service as carbon sinks.

Beyond legislation, the protection of Hauraki Gulf depends on and must involve Indigenous tribes and communities in the area. The Māori have cared for their lands and oceans for generations with their own wisdom and knowldge—mātauranga.  From  decision-making to implementation, this stewardship requires strong collaborations between governments, the private sector, Indigenous peoples, and local communities alike.

Editor: Nazalea Kusuma