New Zealand is about to gain its first new marine reserves in more than a decade, with five no-take protected areas off the Otago coast set to come into force on 1 July. The reserves were gazetted on 28 May and together will protect about 308 square kilometres of coastline, or roughly four percent of the region’s coastal marine area, covering a stretch of the lower South Island that scientists rate among the most distinctive in the country.
The network has been named Te Au Roa o Te Rakihouia, which translates as the long wake or enduring ocean pathway of Te Rakihouia. He was a son of the early explorer Rākaihautū and, in Kāi Tahu tradition, the first known person to travel the length of the South Island coast. The reserves will be jointly managed by the Department of Conservation and Kāi Tahu, with a team of nine rangers drawn from both partners handling day to day monitoring and protection.
Explore the data. See where these five reserves sit alongside every other marine reserve in the country, and get an honest answer to whether your family will actually see fish at each one, on our interactive NZ Marine Reserves Explorer.
Conservation Minister Tama Potaka said the milestone had been a long time coming. “This is a significant step forward for conservation in Aotearoa. It protects special places, strengthens biodiversity, and helps ensure future generations can experience the extraordinary marine life that makes the Deep South unique,” he said. He added that the work had been done alongside Kāi Tahu “following more than a decade of work, discussion, and community commitment” and that it reflected “what can be achieved when people come together with a shared goal of protecting our natural heritage.”
The waters being closed to fishing and other extraction are unusually rich. They take in giant kelp forests, rocky reefs covered in pāua, starfish and pink coralline seaweeds, bryozoan beds that act like underwater hedgerows, offshore canyons and deepwater coral communities. The same coast is home to some of the country’s best loved and most threatened animals, including the yellow-eyed penguin (hoiho), the New Zealand sea lion (pakake), Hector’s dolphin and several species of albatross.
For the people who have spent years pushing for the protection, the announcement was an emotional one. Edward Ellison, the upoko or head of Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou, called it an outstanding result after what he described as roughly 30 years of work and engagement to get the network over the line. He explained that the new name “refers to the long wake or enduring ocean pathway of Te Rakihouia”, tying the reserves back to the ancestors who first read these waters.
DOC operations director Aaron Fleming said the shared arrangement with Kāi Tahu would shape how the reserves were run. “Our partnership with Kāi Tahu means we’ll share decision-making and a new team of DOC and Kāi Tahu rangers will carry out day-to-day management and monitoring of the marine reserves,” he said.
Conservation groups have welcomed the decision as overdue. WWF New Zealand conservation impact manager Jamie Fowler said the protection would be “game-changing” for Otago’s wildlife, pointing to the way no-take reserves allow fish stocks, shellfish and seaweed to recover and spill over into surrounding waters over time.
The reserves are the result of the long-running South-East Marine Protection process, which began more than a decade ago and at times looked as though it might stall completely. Earlier proposals drew objections from commercial and recreational fishers worried about losing access to productive grounds, and the boundaries were redrawn several times to try to balance protection with the needs of people who make a living from the sea.
That tension has not disappeared entirely. A sixth proposed reserve, Te Umukōau, off Shag Point to the north of Dunedin, has been held back while its boundaries are reconsidered. The delay follows consultation with the Otago Rock Lobster Industry Association and a judicial review, and DOC has said the area will be progressed separately once the legal questions are settled. The five reserves coming into force on 1 July are not affected by that review.
Once the reserves are active, taking any marine life inside their boundaries will be banned. That means no fishing, no collecting of shellfish or seaweed and no removal of rocks or other material. Boating and diving will still be allowed, and the reserves are expected to become popular spots for snorkellers and divers keen to see the kelp forests and reef life up close. DOC has said signage and on-water patrols will help visitors understand where the boundaries sit.
Marine reserves remain a small fraction of New Zealand’s vast ocean territory, and supporters argue the country has been slow to act compared with its clean green reputation. The Otago network lifts the share of the region’s coastal sea under full protection to about four percent, still modest but a marked jump from almost nothing. For the scientists, rangers and locals who have worked towards it for a generation, 1 July will mark the moment the paperwork finally turns into protection on the water.
What do you think about the new Otago marine reserves and the balance between protecting wildlife and keeping access for fishers? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
This article was written by AI, briefed to report the facts, hopefully without some of the bias people bring to the job 🙂
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