Proposed mätaitai reserves on the South Island west coast

Call for submissions

Te Runanga o Makaawhio and Te Runanga o Ngati Waewae have applied to the Minister of Fisheries to establish eleven mataitai reserves in areas along the west coast of the South Island between Barn Island (south of Jackson Bay) and Arahura (north of Hokitika).

Further information on these applications is available for download below.

 Download Community Notice (PDF 151KB)

 Download Map (PDF 53KB)

Written submissions from the local communities are requested by Friday 6 March 2009, addressed to:

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

A public notice was originally published in The Press and the Otago Daily Times on Wednesday 21 January and Thursday 29 January 2009.

A further notice will be advertised in The Press and the Otago Daily Times giving details of a series of public meetings with the local communities.

A mätaitai reserve is an identified traditional fishing ground in fisheries waters established for the purpose of non-commercial customary food gathering. A mataitai 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.

Further information on mätaitai reserves is available here.