What you need to know
The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana is in crisis.
Overfishing, habitat destruction, and pollution have devastated marine life in Auckland’s treasured Hauraki Gulf, with populations of fish, seabirds, and mammals, including orcas and fur seals, in freefall.
The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill — proposed national legislation that came from years of collaboration among tangata whenua, local communities, and advocacy groups — aimed to reverse this decline by establishing new high protection areas and offering safe havens for species to recover. In June, the New Zealand Parliament’s Environment Select Committee unanimously agreed to advance the Bill, finally setting the Gulf on a path toward revival.
But now, at the eleventh hour and against expert advice, New Zealand’s Government has decided to amend the Bill to allow a type of commercial fishing known as ring-netting within the new “high protection areas” — zones designed to exclude harmful activities altogether.
More than 30,000 supporters have signed the open letter calling on New Zealand’s Government to withdraw the last-minute changes to this landmark legislation. You can take your advocacy one step further by directly sending messages to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Minister of Conservation Tama Potaka, and Auckland-based National MPs, urging them to reverse this reckless decision.
Take action and tell our leaders to restore the Gulf — not damage it further.
