{"id":74728,"date":"2025-10-13T01:13:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T01:13:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/74728\/"},"modified":"2025-10-13T01:13:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T01:13:13","slug":"council-to-notify-massive-coromandel-bottom-trawl-ban-picking-fight-with-govt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/74728\/","title":{"rendered":"Council to notify massive Coromandel bottom trawl ban, picking fight with Govt"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Waikato Regional Council is advancing a plan to close the vast majority of the Coromandel\u2019s coast to bottom fishing in its upcoming coastal management plan.<\/p>\n

The plan, which will be publicly notified on October 14, would allow bottom fishing, such as trawling, Danish seine and dredging only along select benthic access areas \u2013 mirroring those in the Hauraki Gulf trawl corridor<\/a> shelved by the Government.<\/p>\n

It can easily be read as a reaction to Fisheries Minister Shane Jones\u2019 decision to not progress those corridors, and Jones isn\u2019t pleased, telling Newsroom he was now actively working with RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop to limit local government involvement in fisheries management.<\/p>\n

The Waikato Regional Council\u2019s proposed Coastal Plan has been in the works since at least 2023, opening for public submissions in August of that year. Hearings were held early 2025, and the hearing panel\u2019s recommendations were adopted by the council in late September.<\/p>\n

Waikato Regional Council policy and information director Tracey May says prohibition of bottom fishing stems from a request by the Environmental Defence Society.<\/p>\n

This rule isn\u2019t part of the operative plan, so bottom fishing can\u00a0continue until the rule is made operative, subject to any appeals that may be received against the council\u2019s decision in a 30-day window after notification. It could be \u201cseveral more years away\u201d before the rule is made operative, May adds.<\/p>\n

Environmental Defence Society chief operating officer Shay Schlaepfer argues it\u2019s a landmark moment for marine protection in the region. \u201cObviously we\u2019re very pleased,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe put a monumental amount of effort into this case, there were multiple trips to hearings in Hamilton, we had expert planning evidence and expert marine ecological evidence and they did multiple statements.<\/p>\n

\"\"The solid green area would be closed to bottom trawling, dredging and Danish seine fishing under the council\u2019s proposed plan. Photo: Supplied<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had an in-house lawyer who worked on this almost exclusively for two or three months. We put so much effort into it because we saw the potential and we\u2019re really pleased that it paid off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not everyone is pleased, however.<\/p>\n

RMA manipulated<\/p>\n

Speaking to Newsroom, Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says regional councils have, over the past 10 to 15 years, managed to carve out space under the coastal policy statement functions in the Resource Management Act to allow themselves to regulate fisheries activity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis displeases the fishing industry, obviously, and it creates confusion with the fisheries department.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones is referring to the M\u014dt\u012bt\u012b\u00a0 Protection Area outside of Tauranga, which was created through local government processes and made operative after significant legal action.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow the Waikato Regional Council have been out and extended their consultations so that it potentially gives them the authority to stop things like bottom trawling and various other fishing activities.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s something Jones, a self-described industry apostle, won\u2019t take lying down.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m astounded that RMA powers are being manipulated to give anti-development regional council bureaucracies power over the fishing\u00a0industry. That\u2019s the first thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cSecondly, we are already working with Christopher Bishop to ensure that local and regional government don\u2019t displace the statutory role of the fisheries department of the Ministry for Primary Industries.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018I really do see this as the start of a movement; it\u2019s the community stepping up. It\u2019s quite exciting to see the Waikato Regional Council enacting and driving change.\u2019<\/p>\n

Sam Woolford, LegaSea<\/p>\n

He believes fisheries management shouldn\u2019t be handled by multiple organisations \u2013 and he\u2019s not sure regional councils should even be a thing (he says that\u2019s an issue for another political cycle).<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that in many cases, we need an overarching, centralised point of authority.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe truth of the matter is that circumscribing areas for exclusive activity is within the purview of DoC and regional councils, but managing the fisheries activity in those areas has historically been the business of the Crown.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just see it as inefficient, and it\u2019s an unintended and unwelcome development.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe optimum situation is for fisheries to be exclusively the business of central government and our fisheries agency.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe proposed ban on bottom fishing in the Coromandel area picks up where earlier trawl corridor work was left. Photo: Getty Images<\/p>\n

Jones says it would be quite difficult to \u201cretrospectively overwhelm\u201d what the regional council is seeking to put in place. He is taking advice on that, but his major focus is on comprehensive change.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m certainly not a fan of this spreading like some type of ideological convolvulus, and it\u2019s certainly an area that needs to be rationalised, and that\u2019s why the Minister Bishop and I are working closely on the matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

But EDS\u2019 Schlaepfer said the Government had already curtailed the ability of councils to manage the impacts of fishing through a recent law change.<\/p>\n

The Resource Management (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Act 2025 includes changes \u201cto clarify and constrain the extent to which regional councils can make rules to\u202fcontrol fishing for biodiversity<\/a> and marine protection purposes\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"\"Fishing company head Roger Rawlinson would like to see quota cuts to balance the proposed closures. Photo: Supplied<\/p>\n

That includes a decision-making role for the Director-General of Primary Industries to prevent those rules being notified if they would have an undue adverse effect on fishing.<\/p>\n

Schlaepfer says the Waikato Regional Council process was already in progress when the act was put into law in August, so it didn\u2019t apply in this instance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is kind of the last case where the council had this ability unfettered by the new constraints that the Government\u2019s put on.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are more resource management amendments underway, and Schlaepfer says there is always a possibility of doing some further tinkering with fisheries. \u201cIf they were to legislate over this decision, that would be a flagrant disregard of the uncontested evidence that these fishing methods are having a significant impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

Industry disappointed<\/p>\n

Seafood NZ chief executive Lisa Futschek says she\u2019s \u201cextremely disappointed\u201d to hear the Waikato Regional Council is intending to prohibit certain commercial fishing methods in parts of its coastal waters.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s inadequate information to inform the decision and support genuine consultation with those impacted: \u201cThe council has strayed beyond its jurisdiction by making fisheries management decisions that fall under the Fisheries Act and not the Resource Management Act,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Like Jones, she wants the law changed. \u201cSeafood NZ stands by the sector\u2019s commitment to responsible fisheries stewardship and sustainable management, and the importance the industry places on healthy fisheries and marine ecosystems.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, decisions related to fisheries management, such as this, should be decided according to the Fisheries Act 1996 and its robust requirements for science-based management and consultation with all affected parties.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fisheries management doesn\u2019t fall within local council remits, Futschek says, and the Resource Management Act needs to be amended to support appropriate management. \u201cWe now need to get a better understanding of this decision and its implications, which risk undermining science-based fisheries management and endangering livelihoods.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schlaepfer disputes that, saying the issues have already been canvassed during the regional council process. \u201cThe 2023 consultation on the proposed trawl corridors. I mean, that\u2019s sat idle for two years now. In that vacuum, the regional planning process like this one is really important to deliver biodiversity gains.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the issues that came up in the hearing was, well, the Fisheries Act has the tools to deal with these issues \u2013 but we made the point that it\u2019s not and it hasn\u2019t done for a long, long time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most recent iteration of the potential for that to occur was this consultation, which has sat idle, so really, it is a consequence of inaction, and it has got to the point now that the evidence is just so blatantly obvious that someone has to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the moon<\/p>\n

LegaSea programme lead Sam Woolford says he\u2019s \u201cover the moon\u201d with what the council has put forward. \u201cWe\u2019ve long advocated for the removal of destructive fishing techniques. Obviously, in order to have more fish in the water, we\u2019ve got to prioritise the habitat, the ecosystem, and that revolves around getting rid of destructive fishing techniques.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we want to see any sort of fishing in the future, we have to evolve. This was a great first step.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a result of central government inaction, Woolford says communities are now looking for solutions within their control. \u201cThat\u2019s a direct response to the fact Shane Jones didn\u2019t feel this was necessary and he chose to dismiss the trawl corridors proposal.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really do see this as the start of a movement; it\u2019s the community stepping up. It\u2019s quite exciting to see the Waikato Regional Council enacting and driving change.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Environmental Defence Society had pushed for an even more comprehensive closure, which would ban all fishing activities, including recreational fishing, from the area. M\u0101ori customary fishing would still be allowed.<\/p>\n

Schlaepfer says the society has come to the view that the most credible option is the trawl corridor proposal being progressed.<\/p>\n

Certainly, a total ban would have angered recreational fishers.<\/p>\n

Gordon McIvor is the former president of Mercury Bay Sports Fishing Club and a Whitianga local. He says a total ban on fishing would have been terrible for the local community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI opened my submission by saying that I just couldn\u2019t even find the words to describe how devastating such a ban would be on the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a little isolated rural community, and we\u2019ve got two food markets and four tackle shops. Being able to catch kai for your family, or to feed your family is a big part of why people visit or live.\u201d<\/p>\n

McIvor is generally pretty supportive of the commercial fishing industry, \u201cbut not of destructive bottom contact fishing methods\u201d.<\/p>\n

He hopes the restrictions, if made operative, would lead to a focus on a high-value catch that has less impact on the environment.<\/p>\n

Industry impact<\/p>\n

Roger Rawlinson, and his wh\u0101nau-owned fishing company, RMD Marine, is one of the outfits that fish up the Coromandel coast.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s concerned the restrictions could see fishing effort directed elsewhere, creating areas of overfishing.<\/p>\n

But the ban isn\u2019t a blanket one \u2013 other fishing methods such as long lining can be used in the wider area.<\/p>\n

Could fishers just switch to practices that don\u2019t carry the same environmental impact?<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s one argument,\u201d Rawlinson said, \u201cHowever, with our mixed species, you know you don\u2019t catch John Dory long-lining, you don\u2019t catch trevally long-lining. You don\u2019t catch 10 or 12 of the key species that bottom trawling does catch.\u201d<\/p>\n

The economics of pretty much only targeting just snapper through long-lining don\u2019t stack up for him.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d prefer the proposal doesn\u2019t go ahead and to keep historic trawling areas open, with more targeted closures of important marine areas.<\/p>\n

If the proposal does go ahead, he\u2019d like to see associated cuts to quota to stop the fishing effort from being directed elsewhere. \u201cI\u2019m about sustainability. I own six vessels, I catch nearly 7000 tons of fish, so I\u2019m out there all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The problem with that is the restrictions are being created in a process separate to Fisheries NZ.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know firsthand where the good spots are and where they\u2019re not. Because if I didn\u2019t, I wouldn\u2019t be in business, and I wouldn\u2019t want areas that are very productive, good fishing spots, to then be overfished because we\u2019re not allowed in the now-closed areas. That\u2019s not good, sustainable science, is it?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Waikato Regional Council is advancing a plan to close the vast majority of the Coromandel\u2019s coast to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":74729,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[138,273,111,43,7439,139,69,53667,147],"class_list":{"0":"post-74728","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-environment","10":"tag-new-zealand","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-newsroom-pro","13":"tag-newzealand","14":"tag-nz","15":"tag-primary-industries","16":"tag-science"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74728","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74728"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74728\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74729"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}