Proposed mātaitai reserves on the South Island West Coast

Call for submissions

Te Runanga o Makaawhio has applied as the sole applicant to the Minister of Fisheries to establish nine mātaitai reserves in areas along the west coast of the South Island. Te Runanga o Makaawhio and the Ministry of Fisheries held public meetings with the local community on the nine applications between 30 March and 2 April 2009.

A mātaitai reserve is an identified traditional fishing ground in fisheries waters established for the purpose of non-commercial customary food gathering. A mātaitai reserve applies to all species managed under the Fisheries Act 1996, and does not apply to species managed under the Conservation Act 1987, such as whitebait.

Pursuant to Regulation 19(5) of the Fisheries (South Island Customary Fishing) Regulations 1999 the Ministry is calling for written submissions for five of these applications that are proceeding at this time, as follows:

Okuru/ Mussel Point
Tauperikaka
Manakaiaua/ Hunts Beach
Mahitahi/ Bruce Bay
Okarito Lagoon

Written submissions are invited from those who take fish, aquatic life, or seaweed or own quota, and whose ability to take such fish, aquatic life, or seaweed or whose ownership interest in quota may be affected by the five proposed mataitai reserves.

Pursuant to Regulation 18(2) written submissions are also invited from the local community on two of the five applications (Mahitahi / Bruce Bay and Okarito Lagoon) whose boundaries have been amended by Te Runanga o Makaawhio following consultation with the local community.

Regulation 2 defines local community members as those persons who own land in the proximity of the proposed mataitai reserves, or who have a place of residence in the proximity of a proposed mataitai reserve and have been in occupation for a cumulative period of no less than three months in the three consecutive years prior to March 2009.

Public notices calling for written submissions are being published in the following newspapers:

Greymouth Star: Saturday 15 and Saturday 22 August.
West Coast Times: Wednesday 19 August.
West Coast Messenger: Wednesday 19 August.
Nelson Mail: Saturday 22 August

A copy of the public notice containing details of the five applications and detailed maps of the proposed mātaitai reserve areas are available for download below. 

 Download Public Notice (PDF 291KB)

 Download Maps of the 5 Proposed Areas (PDF 1.14MB)  

Submissions must be made by Tuesday 22 September 2009 to:

Spatial Allocations Manager
Ministry of Fisheries
P O Box 1020, Wellington 
Randall.Bess@fish.govt.nz

Copies of the applications and maps of the proposed areas are also available by contacting the Ministry at the above address.

The West Coast Marine Protection Forum is consulting separately on their proposals for marine protection.

Further information on mātaitai reserves is available here.