| Kahurangi Marine Reserve | |
|---|---|
 | |
  | |
| Location | Buller District, New Zealand |
| Nearest city | Nelson |
| Coordinates | 40°57′29″S172°06′04″E / 40.957941°S 172.1010063°E |
| Area | 8,419 hectares (20,800 acres) |
| Established | 2014 |
| Governing body | Department of Conservation |
Kahurangi Marine Reserve is a marine reserve administered by the Department of Conservation, covering 8,419 hectares (20,800 acres) offshore of Kahurangi National Park in the Buller District of New Zealand's West Coast Region. [1] [2]
Kahurangi is one of the largest marine reserves in New Zealand, extending along 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) of coastline between Wekakura Point and Crayfish Point, and 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) out to sea. [3]
The reserve features an area of remote coastline with sandy beaches and boulders, alongside nīkau forest. The northern end of the coast is a habitat for fur seals (Kekeno) and Hector's dolphins, and driftwood along the coast is a habitat for animals like earwigs, sandhoppers and spiders. Rocky reefs and seastacks provide a habitat for encrusting animals, invertebrates and inshore fish that thrive in murky waters. [1]
The reserve reaches depths of about 50 metres (160 ft), with a seabed of mud and sand providing a habitat for burrowing shellfish and coastal fish like flounder, gurnard, snapper and sharks. [1]
The reserve was proposed in September 2011, [4] and was formally approved by Conservation Minister Nick Smith in March 2013. [5] It was much smaller than what had originally been proposed. [6]
The regulation establishing the marine reserve was passed by Prime Minister John Key on 11 August 2014, and took effect 7 September 2014. [7]
In October 2016, rangers using a helicopter spotted the crew of a fishing vessel trawling within the reserve. [8]
In December 2017, another fisher was fined $16,000 for fishing in the reserve. [9]
In December 2020, a man from Nelson was fined $13,500 for commercial fishing in the marine reserve. [10] According to a court summary of facts, he deployed a bottom trawl net the previous New Year's Eve while travelling back from a fishing trip at Greymouth. [11] He did not know the area was a marine reserve. [12]
Visitors are urged to travel with sufficient food, water, warm clothing and wet weather gear, and tell people where they are going and when they expect to return. They must remain at least 20 metres (66 ft) from seals at all times. [1]
Quad bikes and horses can be ridden within the reserve, provided disturbance is minimal. Small stones, shells, driftwood, sand and gravel can be collected in small quantities by hand. Pounamu can also be collected by Ngāi Tahu or with iwi permission. [1]
The West Coast is a region of New Zealand on the west coast of the South Island. It is administered by the West Coast Regional Council, and is known co-officially as Te Tai Poutini. It comprises the territorial authorities of Buller District, Grey District and Westland District. The principal towns are Westport, Greymouth and Hokitika. The region, one of the more remote areas of the country, is also the most sparsely populated. With a population of just 32,900 people, the West Coast is the least populous region in New Zealand. The population in the region grew by 0.4% over the year to July 2023.
Greymouth is the largest town in the West Coast region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The population of the whole Grey District is 14,250, which accounts for 43% of the West Coast's inhabitants. The Greymouth urban area had an estimated population of 8,340. A large proportion of the District, 65%, is part of the Conservation Estate owned and managed by the Department of Conservation making Greymouth a natural centre for walkers and trampers.
Kahurangi National Park in the northwest of the South Island of New Zealand is the second largest of the thirteen national parks of New Zealand. It was gazetted in 1996 and covers 5,193 km2 (2,005 sq mi), ranging from the Buller River near Murchison in the south, to the base of Farewell Spit in Golden Bay in the north. The park has no single dominant landform, but includes an unusually wide variety of landscapes, including mountain ranges, rivers, gorges, raised peneplains and karst features such as caves and arches. Many of the landforms within the park are considered to be nationally or internationally significant.
New Zealand has 44 marine reserves spread around the North, the South Island, and neighbouring islands, and on outlying island groups. They are governed by the Marine Reserves Act 1971 and administered by the Department of Conservation with assistance from the Ministry for Primary Industries, New Zealand Customs Service and the New Zealand Defence Forces.
Māui dolphin, Maui's dolphin, or Popoto is a subspecies of the Hector's dolphin —New Zealand's only endemic cetacean. Māui dolphins are only found off the west coast of New Zealand's North Island, and are now one of the rarest and smallest dolphin subspecies globally. A 2021 report issued by the New Zealand government suggests the population rests at 54 individuals, but when taking into account recent mortalities, the population could sit at fewer than 40 individuals. Both the Māui dolphin and South Island Hector's dolphin are threatened by commercial fisheries, including set-netting and trawling, recreational netting, and disease including toxoplasmosis and brucellosis. Low food availability may also be an issue for Māui dolphins, which may increase their susceptibility to climate change.
As with other countries, New Zealand's 200 nautical miles exclusive economic zone gives its fishing industry special fishing rights. It covers 4.1 million square kilometres. This is the sixth largest zone in the world, and is fourteen times the land area of New Zealand.
Talley's Group Limited is a privately owned, New Zealand-based agribusiness company that provides seafood, vegetable and dairy products. Talley's was established in 1936 in Motueka by Ivan Peter Talijancich as a manufacturer of seafood, and has since grown into one of the largest agribusiness companies in New Zealand.
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Hikurangi Marine Reserve is a marine reserve off the coast of the Kaikōura District, in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand's South Island. It is the largest and deepest marine reserve in New Zealand.
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