A public meeting to discuss creating a mātaitai reserve that will ban commercial fishing surrounding Moutohorā-Whale Island and the Rurima island group will be held next week at Te Whare o Toroa (Wairaka) Marae.

A mātaitai reserve is an identified traditional fishing ground of tangata whenua with which they have a special relationship. It allows customary and recreational fishing but usually does not allow commercial fishing.

A mātaitai reserve also allows appointed kaitiaki (guardians) of the area to recommend bylaws that restrict or ban the taking of particular species or sizes of fish from the reserve to preserve fisheries resources.

Any recommendations will be consulted on with the public and stakeholders, and must be approved by the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries.

The current application is for New Zealand Fisheries waters extending approximately 500 metres around the islands.

Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa applied for mātaitai reserve status of one nautical mile off the coasts of Moutohorā and Rurima, Moutoki and Tokata in the Rurima island group, along with half a nautical mile off the Whakatāne coast in 2011.

That application for an area of 63.8 square kilometres had been much reduced from an application three years earlier for 238 square kilometres.

Fisheries New Zealand consulted on the application three times between 2012 and 2016. In 2018, the then Minister for Oceans and Fisheries deferred a decision on the application because of its potential impact on commercial fishers.

Reserve area: Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa and Fisheries New Zealand are asking for people to have their say on a mataitai reserve in the areas around Moutohora and the Rurima Island group - highlighted in pink - which will prevent commercial fishing in those waters. Image Ministry of Primary Industries.

Te Rae o Kohi mātaitai reserve was formed that same year, which covers the area 200 metres offshore from the high-tide mark, from Wahieroa, near the Rangitāiki River mouth, to Maraetotara stream in Ōhope. This was a much smaller area than originally applied for.

This year, Ngāti Awa and Fisheries New Zealand agreed to proceed with the application for mātaitai reserve around the islands, with a reduced boundary area.

There will be two rounds of consultation. The first of these is for the general public to share their views on the application and closes on September 16.

A second consultation will be held after this date with written submissions invited from people with a fishing interest in the stock or stocks in the proposed area.

The public meeting on Wednesday, September 21, at 5.30pm is being held by Ngāti Awa and Fisheries New Zealand to discuss the application and invite submissions.

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