Five Māori co-managed marine reserves took effect on July 1, 2026, along New Zealand’s Otago coast through a historic partnership between Kāi Tahu and the Department of Conservation.
New Zealand’s Otago coastline previously had no marine protected areas despite supporting some of the country’s most endangered wildlife. Yellow-eyed penguins, northern royal albatross, and New Zealand sea lions all depend on healthy marine ecosystems along this spectacular southeastern coast. That gap closed on July 1, 2026, when five new Māori co-managed marine reserves came into force, protecting 308 square kilometers of coastal waters.
Named Te Au Roa o Te Rakihouia, honoring the enduring ocean pathway of Te Rakihouia, the first person to journey along the South Island coastline, the network replaces over a decade of planning with protection. The collaborative process began in 2014 when the South-East Marine Protection Forum brought together Kāi Tahu, commercial and recreational fishers, environmental groups, scientists, tourism operators, and local communities to consider marine protection options.
What distinguishes these Māori co-managed marine reserves from every other reserve in the country is governance. For the first time in New Zealand, marine reserves will be jointly managed through a partnership between Māori and the Crown. Kāi Tahu and the Department of Conservation (DOC) share responsibility for decision-making, ranger operations, and stewardship under the principles of kaitiakitaka, guardianship of the natural world.
A dedicated team of nine rangers drawn from both DOC and Kāi Tahu will carry out daily monitoring and enforcement. Aaron Fleming, DOC’s operations director, described the arrangement as new ground for marine reserve management. The partnership means shared decision-making with rangers from both partners carrying out everyday patrolling and monitoring work.
Edward Ellison, Kāi Tahu rangatira and Upoko of Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou, called the network an outstanding result, one that rewarded three decades of local advocacy. He emphasized that governance structures that recognize the authority and guardianship of three local rūnanga, Te Rūnanga o Moeraki, Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki, and Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou, ensure that management decisions reflect customary practices and local knowledge.
The Māori co-managed marine reserves protect a remarkable spread of habitats. The DOC documented estuaries and tidal lagoons, sandy beaches, rocky headlands, dramatic volcanic cliffs, Otago schist rock pools, giant kelp forests, seagrass and red algal beds, deep offshore canyons, and delicate bryozoan thickets, lace-like animals that build reef structures on the seabed. All five reserves operate as full no-take zones where fishing, collecting, and extraction are prohibited.
The reserves stretch along the coast from Akatore, south of the Taieri River mouth, to near the Waitaki River in the north, encompassing Ōkaihae Island, Ōrau, extending to Harekeke Point on the Otago Peninsula, and Papanui Canyon offshore. Each reserve protects distinct marine environments, contributing to the network’s ecological diversity.
Māori co-managed marine reserves also provide for cultural practices within their boundaries. Orders in Council allow Kāi Tahu to conduct wānaka, workshops passing on mātauraka or traditional knowledge. These may include wānaka hī ika, lessons about traditional fishing where limited take of marine life may occur consistently with reserve purposes. This provision keeps traditional knowledge alive within iwi, hapū, and whānau while connecting youth to their tribal marine areas.
Previous marine reserve legislation in New Zealand tended to alienate mana whenua from their moana. Ellison noted this network’s national significance for iwi across the country, building working partnerships and continuing engagement in co-management, monitoring, data gathering, and the integration of traditional knowledge into conservation practice.
The establishment of Māori co-managed marine reserves carries national significance beyond Otago. The additional 308-square-kilometer increase in mainland New Zealand’s total marine reserve coverage, representing nearly 50%, marks the country’s first new marine sanctuaries in more than a decade. The network contributes to New Zealand’s international commitments to protect marine biodiversity.
Kāi Tahu and the Department of Conservation share decision-making through nine jointly recruited rangers in the first Māori co-managed marine reserves in New Zealand, increasing mainland marine reserve coverage by nearly 50% after more than a decade of collaborative planning. Photo courtesy of DOC.
Forest and Bird Otago representative Chelsea McGaw welcomed the reserves as urgently needed, noting that hoiho (yellow-eyed penguins) face a severe risk of local extinction on the New Zealand mainland. Species expected to benefit also include toroa (northern royal albatross), pakake (New Zealand sea lions), kororā (little penguins), and diverse fish populations inhabiting kelp forests, reefs, and canyon systems.
The reserves complement existing mātaitai and taiāpure reserves already managed by Kāi Tahu along the coast, forming part of a proposed network of 12 marine protected areas. Over time, habitats and animals within the reserve network are expected to become more abundant and diverse while sustaining deep connections between Kāi Tahu and their coastline.
Preparations, including mapping, signage, and baseline environmental monitoring, are already underway. Scientific monitoring will track ecosystem recovery, providing evidence of how Māori co-managed marine reserves perform compared to conventional models. The approach combines mātauranga Māori with modern conservation science, potentially serving as a template for future partnerships across New Zealand.
A sixth reserve, Te Umukōau, was originally planned, but its boundaries are being reconsidered following consultation with the Otago Rock Lobster Industry Association and recent judicial review proceedings. The Minister of Conservation will decide on the final boundaries, with the reserve expected to join the network once the matter is resolved.
The Murihiku current flowing along this coast sustains marine life from great whales to periwinkles and mussels. Protecting habitats along its path ensures that the ecological processes supporting this productivity continue to function. Māori co-managed marine reserves recognize what Kāi Tahu have understood for centuries: that caring for the moana requires both deep cultural knowledge and active stewardship passed through generations.
