On June 8th, International World Ocean Day, marine conservation and education NGO Blue Cradle Foundation has released a Declaration calling for a National Marine Conservation Alliance. In its statement of intent, He Toka Tū Moana – A rock standing firm in the sea, the organization calls for the formation of a marine philanthropy strategy and the setting up of a collaborative Sustainable Blue Finance Roundtable, to address the severe lack of funding going towards marine conservation, management and education across Aotearoa NZ.

The Blue Cradle Foundation is a Charitable Trust (CC57834) set up in 2020. It began working in Waitaha/Canterbury with community groups including Pōhatu penguins, supported by local hapū, the Rātā Foundation, Christchurch City Council, and Environment Canterbury.

Since, it has worked nationally and internationally and has been supported by an increasing number of community groups, institutions, donors, iwi and hapū. With help from Foundation North, MFAT, UNESCO, Hansaworld and the French Embassy, Blue Cradle worked with Cawthron and the Institute for Environmental Scientific Research (ESR) on microplastics and biosecurity research expeditions as well as international workshop exchanges with Tahiti.

In 2023, through a partnership with Te Rūnanganui o Te Āti Awa, support from Business Events Tourism New Zealand and the Department of Internal Affairs, Blue Cradle made it to second place in a bid for Te-Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington to host the 6th International Marine Protected Area Congress (IMPAC), co-hosted with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It is currently applying to become an IUCN member and continuing to work with iwi, community and government partners to prepare an IMPAC7 bid.

Blue Cradle is committed to inspiring and engaging the public towards the crucial importance of working together to preserve a healthy ocean, in the context of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, while at the same time reaching the marine protection objectives of the Global Biodiversity Framework. As an organisation, it is committed to bottom-up and social equity conservation approaches, working with traditional owners and Indigenous knowledge, through co-design, co-governance and co-monitoring of the ocean.

You don't need to be a champion to protect the ocean. Blue Cradle works in partnerships, making marine conservation more accessible and equitable for all.

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