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The recently-released Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Spatial Plan is recommending greater protection for the waters off Whangaparaoa Peninsula.
The plan was prepared over several years with the support of various agencies and community groups including manu whenua, Auckland Council and the Department of Conservation.
It identifies that despite the intensive use of the Hauraki Gulf by humans, there is a fundamental lack of baseline knowledge for most of the park.
While there have been a number of small-scale benthic surveys, either for geology or for species-habitat purposes, there has never been any large-scale systematic survey or series of surveys of the gulf to quantify ‘what is out there’ beyond the species that humans value economically such as fish or socially such as seabirds.
“The old adgage, ‘you can’t manage what you don’t measure’ holds strongly here, both in terms of what is present, and monitoring it over time to detect any significant changes, natural or anthropogenic,” the plan says.
The plan advocates for the introduction of 15 new Marine Protected Areas in the gulf including 10 new areas of marine reserves. All were identified for their habitat and ecological values, and were based on scientific evidence.
However, while the plan sets out a range of recommendations, implementation still rests with authorities such as Auckland Council and the Department of Conservation.
The plan identified that the Tiritiri Matangi and Whangaparaoa area included a range of habitats such as sheltered and exposed reeds to a high current channel. Due to heavy recreational use and land-based impacts such as sedimentation, the health of the area is considered degraded. Kina barrens are observed and once abundant species such as crayfish and hapuku are rarely seen or absent.
The plan recommends two scenarios (see maps):
Scenario 1: Type 1 – No take marine reserve around Tiritiri Island including Shearer Rock. Type 2 – Protection of benthic habitats extends north from Army Bay and East and South to join the cable zone. Excludes all benthic impacting fishing methods.
Scenario 2: Type 1 – No take marine reserve extending south from Northwest Point to southern point on Tiritiri island. Type 2 – Protection of benthic habitats extends north from Army Bay and east and south to join the cable zone. Excludes all benthic impacting fishing methods.
The plan can be read in full here: seachange.org.nz/Read-the-Plan
