Fiordland (Te Moana o Atawhenua) Marine Management Act 2005
The Fiordland (Te Moana o Atawhenua) Marine Management Act 2005 recognises the local, national and international importance of the Fiordland marine environment, including the distinct biological diversity and outstanding landscape and cultural heritage. A number of management and conservation measures were implemented under the Act to achieve its purpose.
The Fiordland (Te Moana o Atawhenua) Marine Area was established, and is the area to which this Act applies. The area extends from Awarua Point on the West Coast to Sandhill Point, Te Waewae Bay, and to 12 nautical miles off the Fiordland coast.
Within the Fiordland (Te Moana o Atawhenua) Marine Area, the Act created 8 new marine reserves, adding to the 2 existing marine reserves. These reserves are subject to the conditions specified in the Act and the provisions of the Marine Reserves Act 1971. At the commencement of the Act, a moratorium on further marine reserve applications was applied, and will continue for 7 years (or earlier, following the first Ministerial review of the effectiveness of the management of the Fiordland (Te Moana o Atawhenua) Marine Area).
The Act established the Fiordland Marine Guardians and identified the Ministries for the Environment, Fisheries and Agriculture and Forestry, the Department of Conservation, and the Southland Regional Council as the management agencies, to work together to successfully implement the Act.
The Fiordland Marine Guardians are a statutory advisory body appointed by the Minister for the Environment. The Guardians have the critical role of facilitating and promoting the integrated management of the Fiordland (Te Moana o Atawhenua) Marine Area. One of the functions of the Guardians is to advise and make recommendations to management agencies on the effectiveness of management measures in Fiordland (Te Moana o Atawhenua) Marine Area and likely threats to the area.
The Act enables the Guardians to obtain, share and monitor information on the state of the Fiordland (Te Moana o Atawhenua) Marine Area, to assist the management agencies to prepare and disseminate information, monitor the state of the marine environment and biological diversity in the Fiordland (Te Moana o Atawhenua) Marine Area and to plan for the enforcement of and compliance with the management of the Fiordland (Te Moana o Atawhenua) Marine Area.
The Act made specific amendments to the Southland Regional Coastal Plan. Most of the amendments to the plan relate only to the Fiordland (Te Moana o Atawhenua) Marine Area.
Links to other Ministry resources
Last updated: 9 February 2009
