Mt Maunganui and Tauranga Harbour mataitai
28 August 2008 Media Statement
Mt Maunganui and
Tauranga Harbour mataitai
A mataitai reserve over waters surrounding Mt Maunganui and part of Tauranga Harbour in Bay of Plenty is to be established, Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton said today.
Mataitai Reserves are authorised under the Kaimoana Customary Fishing Regulations and recognise traditional Māori fishing grounds that are important for customary food gathering. They also allow the local Tauranga Moana - Ngaiterangi, Ngāti Ranginui and Ngāti Pukenga, to advise the Minister of Fisheries directly on how best to manage fishing in the local area.
Jim Anderton said this mātaitai reserve would allow the Tauranga Moana to more effectively manage customary fishing in important traditional fishing grounds.
"The reserve recognises the strong and enduring connection the hapu has with this area."
Commercial fishing will be banned within the six km2 mātaitai reserve but recreational and customary fishing will still be allowed. Recreational fishing will not require a permit from local Māori.
Jim Anderton said the Mt Maunganui mātaitai reserve would have no effect on the local community's ability to go fishing or gather shellfish under the existing recreational allowances. .However, the current temporary closure to the take of green-lipped mussels between Moturiki and Motuotau Islands would remain in place until it expires on 6 December 2009.
In the future, the Tangata Tiaki/Kaitiaki (guardians) for the mātaitai reserve may recommend bylaws to the Minister of Fisheries that could impose some restrictions within the boundaries of the mātaitai reserve. Any such restrictions would apply equally to everyone fishing within the mātaitai reserve. Customary seafood gathering for Māori cultural purposes would be governed by authorisations issued by appointed guardians (rather than recreational regulations), as is currently the case for customary fishing around many areas of the North Island.
Jim Anderton said that as Minister, he was ultimately responsible for all New Zealand's fisheries, and must carefully consider any fishing restriction recommended by the guardians and must approve them before they come into effect.
"I carefully considered the effect the mātaitai reserve would have on commercial fishers. I recognise that the mātaitai reserve will affect some, but overall, I do not believe those effects will prevent them from taking their catch entitlements."
The mātaitai reserve will come into effect on the 25th September 2008. A map is available for downloading from www.fish.govt.nz.
The proposal for this mātaitai reserve was extensively consulted on with the local community including two separate calls for written submissions, two public meetings and direct discussions with local Māori.
BACKGROUND
Māori rights to manage
customary seafood gathering (for cultural purposes such as
hui and tangi) and traditionally important fishing grounds
were recognised under the Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries
Settlement agreed in 1992.
There are currently 9
mātaitai reserves in New Zealand (including this one).
Mātaitai reserves are not marine reserves.
Commercial fishing is banned in mātaitai reserves but
recreational fishing is allowed.
Customary fishing is
governed and managed by Tangata Kaitiaki/Tiaki or guardians;
nominated by local Māori and appointed by the Associate
Minister of Fisheries.
There are currently 342 Tangata
Kaitiaki/Tiaki throughout New Zealand.
All customary
catch must have an authorisation from a Tangata
Kaitiaki/Tiaki.
What are mātaitai reserves?
Under
the Kaimoana Customary Fishing Regulations Māori may apply
to the Minister of Fisheries to establish a mātaitai
reserve over any part of their traditional area for the
purpose of recognising and providing for customary
management practices and food gathering.
A mātaitai
reserve has the following effect:
Excludes commercial
fishing (including the landing and unloading of commercially
caught fish, the use of holding pots to store commercial
rock lobsters and the baiting of lines), unless specifically
allowed by regulations;
Does not prohibit boats carrying
fish and fishing gear onboard from passing through or
sheltering in a mātaitai reserve;
Does not exclude
recreational fishing;
Does not require recreational
fishers to obtain permits or prevent non-Māori from
fishing;
Does not prevent access to beaches or rivers
not on private land;
Allows for bylaws governing fishing
in the reserve to be made by the Minister of Fisheries.
Any bylaws approved apply to all, with only one
exception (the taking of seafood to meet the needs of a
marae)
Are mātaitai reserves just for Māori?
Controls on recreational fishing within mātaitai
reserves must apply equally to all people, with only one
exception: if a bylaw prohibits the take of a specific
species, the guardians may approve the taking of that
species to fulfil the functions of the marae belonging to
the tangata whenua of the reserve.
No commercial fishing
is allowed within a mātaitai reserve, this includes Māori
owned commercial fishing companies. Limited commercial
fishing can be reinstated if the guardians request it and
the government passes regulations to allow it.
Managing
customary catch:
Every fish stock has a Total Allowable
Catch (TAC) set by the Minister of Fisheries which ensures
that fish stock is fished sustainably or will recover to
sustainable levels. Within that TAC, specific and separate
allowances are made for commercial catch, recreational catch
and customary Māori catch. These allowances and the TAC
itself are regularly reviewed.
Tangata Kaitiaki/Tiaki
guardians can issue anyone a permit to catch fish in their
traditional area (rohe moana) for customary use. They must
report these catches to the Ministry of Fisheries so the
Minister can allow for customary use when setting next
year's catch allowances.
ENDS