Taking up the customary fishing regulations

The Ministry of Fisheries has Customary Relationship and Extension Service Teams (Pou Hononga and Pou Takawaenga).

These teams work with iwi and hapū to make them aware of the customary fishing regulations, and to get them more involved in fisheries management in their areas.

The first step for iwi and hapū is to work out who has tangata whenua status over a particular area/rohe moana.

The Ministry provides information about customary fishing management options and helps iwi and hapū to develop applications for the options they are interested in following. However, the Ministry does not advocate for the use of particular options or encourage the order in which they might be used. It is up to iwi and hapū to make such decisions.

The customary fishing regulations have been adopted across much of the South Island’s waters. Ngāi Tahu was one of the first iwi to see the opportunities they presented and quickly took advantage of them. All but one runanga is operating within defined areas, with 110 guardians acting for 17 runanga.

Ngāi Tahu has identified a number of areas for protection by customary management tools. A customary fisheries protection areas project has been developed to help establish a co-ordinated network of customary fishing areas throughout their rohe moana.

In North Island waters, some 37 iwi and hapū entities have been officially recognised as having tangata whenua status over defined rohe moana. There are currently 229 guardians operating in these areas.

  Alan Riwaka – winner, Customary section, MFish photography competition 2008.