4868

NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE, No. 194

18 NOVEMBER 2005

(b)

We were persuaded by the scientific views put to us both in relation to Akaroa Harbour specifically, and deriving from relevant experience at other marine reserves in New Zealand, that a reserve at Dan Rogers would offer an excellent benchmark against which the success of measures implemented in the balance of the harbour area may be assessed;

(c)

Dan Rogers is an area of some considerable cultural significance. It includes burial caves that are wāhi tapu, and also important mahinga kai. We neither discount nor minimise these factors. However, we felt that it would be possible to make special arrangements for input by the rūnaka in the management and control of this marine reserve. It would certainly be necessary to recognise as far as possible the special significance of Dan Rogers to the people of Ōnuku in particular. Their involvement in the management of the reserve would be important in order that tikanga Māori applying to this area of coast are understood and, where possible, implemented. Dan Rogers would nevertheless be lost to Ōnuku as a mahinga kai, and we agree that this is a significant sacrifice, justified only by the desirability of returning part of the harbour to a pristine state. The marine reserve would then act as a benchmark and indicator of the health of the rest of the harbour, and also as a breeding ground to replenish and re-seed other depleted areas. We note that the agreement by Ngāi Tahu to the establishment of the marine reserve at Pōhatu carried with it an understanding that fish and shellfish stocks at Pōhatu could be used for re-seeding of fisheries in other areas of the harbour and surrounding waters. Such an arrangement could be duplicated at Dan Rogers. Use of an appropriate Māori name for the reserve would also be a fitting recognition of the significance of the area to tangata whenua;

(d)

All those who appeared before us agreed that Akaroa Harbour is in a degraded state ecologically compared with what they have known even in their own lifetimes. We think it highly desirable that a conservation zone be established within the harbour, so that one small area at least is assured of protection from fishing and other exploitation over the long-term. The evidence from other marine reserves encouraged us in the belief that the establishment of a marine reserve at Dan Rogers will be a worthwhile exercise for all. While the taiāpure management committee may take some time to get up and running (for that has been the experience with other taiāpure), the evidence is that once a marine reserve is established, excellent results can be seen almost immediately. This has been the experience at the nearby Pōhatu Marine Reserve, and we are confident that the establishment of a marine reserve at Dan Rogers would begin delivering benefits almost immediately to all those who use and enjoy Akaroa Harbour;

(e)

It seemed to us that there was considerable community support for the marine reserve proposal, and that a recommendation by us to establish a taiāpure that would preclude the possibility of a marine reserve at Dan Rogers would, or might, cause conflict within the community. We think it important that the taiāpure concept goes forward with full community support. If a marine reserve is also established, we think that the support for the taiāpure in the community will now be unanimous,⁴⁸ and this will be critical to its effectiveness;

(f)

The effect of the marine reserve would be to create a permanent rāhui at Dan Rogers. We accept that a measure like this may well have been implemented under tikanga Māori through the taiāpure management committee. However, given the range of interests represented on the committee (see the discussion under Issue 6), the politics of such a move may have proved difficult. By creating the space for the Minister to

⁴⁸ The agreements reached with Sea-Right and Akaroa Salmon dispose of the only real opposition to the taiāpure.