Submission: Proposed amendment to Te Pēwhairangi Marine Mammal Sanctuary rules
The Environmental Law Initiative has provided a submission on the Proposed amendment to Te Pēwhairangi (Bay of Islands) Marine Mammal Sanctuary (the Sanctuary) rules.
The following is a short summary of our submission. You can read our full submission by clicking on the image or button at the bottom of the page.
Background
The Sanctuary was co-designed by DOC and Ngā Hapū o Pēwhairangi (‘Ngā Hapū’) and was established in 2021. We acknowledge the role and expertise of Ngā Hapū in the rohe, and the careful work of DOC in creating this important sanctuary.
The Minister of Conservation has the power to specify activities that may or may not be engaged in within the sanctuary, and to impose restrictions.
DOC is proposing an amendment to one of the current management measures in the Sanctuary. The proposal is to remove the two marine mammal safe zones, in which vessels must observe a 5-knot speed limit. The following rules would be retained:
People must keep out of the water within 300 metres of all marine mammals;
Vessels must maintain a 300 metre distance from all marine mammals and stop if the person in charge becomes aware of any marine mammal closer than 300 metres. Vessels must remain stopped until any marine mammal is more than 300 metres away.
ELI’s main points
We submit that DOC should advise the Minister on:
Whether the safe zones could be moved, rather than removed.
Exactly how enforcement will be ramped up.
We also submit that DOC should consider other measures which could be used to protect both the bottlenose dolphins, and other mammals within the Sanctuary.