Have your say
Te Ngāi Tū Ahuriri Rūnanga has applied for a mātaitai reserve along the coastline north of Amberley Beach in North Canterbury. Fisheries New Zealand invites submissions from persons having a fishing interest in the stock or stocks in the proposed mātaitai reserve area. People with a fishing interest are 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.
A mātaitai reserve is an identified traditional fishing ground and is established for the purpose of customary food gathering. Mātaitai reserves are limited to fisheries waters and do not include any land area.
Find out more about mātaitai reserves
Earlier consultation held with the local community
Te Ngāi Tū Ahuriri Rūnanga and Fisheries New Zealand have previously consulted with the local community on this application. That consultation did not result in any changes being made to the application.
Find out about the consultation with the local community (closed 24 June 2019)
What's being proposed?
The application is seeking approval for a mātaitai reserve over the fisheries waters extending northward from the end of Golf Links Road, along the coastline for 5.6km, and offshore 1km. It covers those South Island fisheries waters within the following lines:
- From the starting point on the mean high-water mark at 43°7.945'S and 172°50.614'E; then
- By a straight line in a south-easterly direction for approximately one kilometre to a point offshore at 43°8.417'S and 172°50.971'E; then
- By a line in a generally south-westerly direction, for approximately 4.8 kilometres, to a point offshore at 43°9.747'S and 172°48.280'E; then
- By a straight line in a north-westerly direction for approximately one kilometre to a point on the mean high-water mark at 43°9.431'S and 172°47.679'E (approximately at the end of Golf Links Road); then
- By a line in generally north-easterly direction along the mean high-water mark to the starting point.
Proposed Waipara mātaitai reserve [PDF, 1.7 MB]
Application document
Download a copy of the application [PDF, 465 KB]
Making your submission
The closing date for submissions from fishing interests is 24 February 2020.
Email your submission to FMSubmissions@mpi.govt.nz
While we prefer email, you can post your submission to:
Fisheries Management – Spatial Planning and Allocations
Fisheries New Zealand
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140.
Public notices
Public notices about the call for submissions are scheduled to appear in The Press and the North Canterbury News on 16 January 2020.
Submissions are public information
Note, that any submission you make becomes public information. People can ask for copies of submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we have to make submissions available unless we have a good reason for withholding it. That is explained in sections 6 and 9 of the OIA.
Tell us if you think there are grounds to withhold specific information in your submission. Reasons might include that it's commercially sensitive or it's personal information. However, any decision Fisheries New Zealand makes to withhold information can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may tell us to release it.
