AUCKLAND CONSERV ATION BOARD

31 March, 2003

Submission Coordinator
Tiritiri Matangi Marine Reserve Proposal
New Zealand Underwater Association
PO Box 875
AUCKLAND

Fax Number 09 623 3523

Dear Sir/Madam

SUBMISSION ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A MARINE RESERVE AT TIRlTIRI MATANGI ISLAND

Introduction

1. The Auckland Conservation Board is a statutory board appointed by the Minister of Conservation under the provisions of the Conservation Act 1987. Conservation Boards provide community advice on conservation areas, policy and activities of the Department of Conservation, as well as having a role to advocate for conservation generally.
2. The interests of the Board are founded in the Conservation Act 1987. This is an Act to promote the conservation of New Zealand' s natural and historic resources.
   
   Discussion
   
3. Congratulations to your organization for taking the initiative to put up this proposal and for the work that has gone in to developing it. The Board is keenly aware of the need to better look after our marine environment and is strongly supportive of a goal of achieving protection of areas representative of Auckland's own distinctive marine character.
   
4. The Board supports the establishment of a marine reserve at Tiritiri Matangi. The restoration of Tiritiri Matangi Island is one of the success stories of conservation in the Auckland area. The incongruity of the protection afforded to the biota terminating at the waterline is often remarked on. There is strong support for the establishment of a reserve around the island to achieve a continuum of protected status from land to sea.
   
5. For the Board, the only issues in debate are the size and extent of the boundaries of such a reserve.
   
6. The NZ Underwater Association, in its proposal, presented three possible options. While in principIe, the board supports a reserve which would include both the island and the reef areas around the tip of the Whangaparaoa peninsula (Option 1), the consensus of opinion is that a more limited area including just the island itself, Shag and Shearer rocks would be a more acceptable option at this time and attract less opposition. The recreational value of the area around Shag and Shearer rocks is significant. They are significant bird-breeding areas and the close relationship between the birds and the sea life and the need to protect this, weights us towards their inclusion. The Board believes that an eastwards extension of the Area A boundary in Map 3 would be desirable.
   
7. The Board agrees that Areas B and C of Map 3 should be created a marine reserve but was less unanimous about whether they should be included in this particular application or be a separate application at a later date.
   
8. The rationale for the Board's support of a smaller proposal is its concern that the current level of public awareness of marine protection and support for marine reserves will not at this point in time sustain the bigger boundary option. The potential for opposition from the Whangaparaoa community and recreational fishing groups appears to be significant (and inevitable) and a pragmatic decision to start small may prove more productive in the long run. Experience demonstrates that as the benefits of marine reserves become evident, it becomes easier to get public cooperation and 'buy-in' for voluntary compliance.

Recommendations

Progress a marine reserve application for Area A of Option 3 with the seaward boundary extended to include Shearer Rock and Marker Buoy (as in Option 1).

And:
Consult further with the community regarding separate development of a marine reserve proposal for the Whangaparaoa Peninsula.

Yours sincerely
Paddy Stafford-Bush
Chairperson