Submission on the application for Puketeraki mātaitai reserve, East Otago
Fisheries New Zealand is consulting on an application to establish the Puketeraki Mātaitai Reserve in East Otago, a proposal that would recognise mana whenua and support the restoration of customary fisheries. Submissions closed 5 December 2025.
Our submission
The Environmental Law Initiative supports the application by Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki to establish the Puketeraki Mātaitai Reserve near Karitāne, covering approximately 47.5 km² of coastal waters adjacent to the East Otago Taiāpure. The proposed mātaitai would recognise Kāti Huirapa’s mana whenua and mana moana, support the exercise of customary fishing and management rights, and help restore fisheries resources so that mahika kai can be sustained for future generations. ELI recognises that Kāti Huirapa — as kaitiaki with deep cultural and ecological knowledge of the rohe moana — are best placed to lead the management of these traditional fishing grounds.
ELI notes Kāti Huirapa’s proven track record of successful kaitiakitanga through more than two decades of managing the East Otago Taiāpure, including the introduction of set-net bans that have helped protect endangered species such as hoiho (yellow-eyed penguins) and Hector’s dolphins, as well as key fish species like blue cod.
Establishing the Puketeraki Mātaitai would extend these protections offshore into important reef habitats and juvenile hoiho foraging areas, complement existing tools such as rāhui, and strengthen long-term ecological and cultural outcomes. ELI therefore strongly encourages Fisheries New Zealand to approve the application.