Nugget Point Oct 2004

This article was originally published in the Otago Daily Times 27 October 2004

Series of public meetings planned . South Otago

Kaka Point: The Department of Conservation (Doc) is relaunching its project to create a marine reserve at Nugget Point, with a combination of public meetings and one-on-one chats with locals starting tomorrow.
The original proposal, raised in the late 1980s, went as far as being formally lodged with the Government, but it stalled after successive changes in government.

The first of its "drop-in" forums will be held at the Kaka Point Surf Lifesaving Club tomorrow and Friday, between 10am and 5pm. More are planned in Doc's Dunedin office in mid-December and mid-January, while the Owaka Visitor Centre will host forums on January 5 and 6.

Public meetings will be held next February and March. Doc is also arranging meetings with commercial and recreational fishers, runanga, the Ministry of Fisheries, landowners, local authorities and community groups.

Doc spokeswoman Nicola Vallance said it was now important to talk to all affected parties over the next few months to once again "get the feel" of the community.

At the drop-in forums, members of the public could talk one-on-one with Doc staff about the proposal. A brochure has been printed, explaining the proposal and the issues.

Doc marine ranger Lesley Douglas said public feedback would be an important factor in its decision on how it would proceed with the project.

In 1989, public consultation showed 89% support for establishing marine reserves on the southern coast of New Zealand. A series of 270 sites was reduced to four, with the Nugget Point area having strong public support and the most diverse range of marine habitat.

Doc lodged a formal application for a marine reserve at Nugget Point in 1992, but no decision was made. Its latest attempt was the result of the biodiversity strategy the Government released in 2000, which aims to protect a full range of natural marine habitats and ecosystems.