Iwi wants lost area back in reserve

The reserve has unusually clear water, is home to kelp forests and teems with rare fish and invertebrates such as the fire brick starfish. Picture / Kim Westerskov

Bay of Plenty iwi Ngati Awa is welcoming the establishment of a new marine reserve but anglers say it is unnecessary because the area is not under threat.

The Te Paepae o Aotea (Volkner Rocks) reserve, 5km northwest of Whakaari (White Island) and 55km off the Whakatane coast, opens today after years of talks between iwi, fishing groups and the Government.

The 1267ha reserve encompasses spectacular rock pinnacles considered waahi tapu (sacred) to Ngati Awa and other iwi, who believe the rocks are the departure point for spirits of the Mataatua waka and their descendants.

Te Runanga o Ngati Awa environment manager Beverley Hughes said the iwi were annoyed a concession to anglers had been made by leaving a popular kingfishing spot at the rocks outside the reserve.

"We're absolutely thrilled the reserve has gone ahead," she said.

"But we're a little disappointed that a bite was taken out of it."

The bite she is referring to is the kingfishing spot, which sits on the southwest corner of the otherwise circular reserve.

However anglers are glad to be able to fish the "bite" and said there was no reason to turn the area into a reserve.

Lionel Korach, who runs charters to the rocks, said the area was not under threat and was too far offshore for the public to enjoy.

"It's not the sort of place you take a school group snorkelling ."

He said very few boats went to the rocks and charter operators released 90 per cent of kingfish caught, valuing them as "sport fish" rather than "table fish".

Mr Korach said: "At heart the charter fleet is conservation-minded so your take of kingfish - the only target species there - is very minimal."

The Department of Conservation said Te Paepae o Aotea, the 29th reserve established under the Marine Reserves Act 1971, was worthy of preservation because of unusually clear water, near-vertical rock faces and unique marine life.

The area is home to kelp forests and rare invertebrate species, including the fire brick starfish.

Mr Korach argued that other areas, such as Moutohora (Whale Island), which is 9km off Whakatane, were more appropriate for a reserve and criticised the way sites were chosen.

"They've [DoC] got a quota of marine reserves. They just go around and pinpoint, 'We're going to have one here, one here, one here'. I don't believe they've put enough thought into this one."

Murray Hosking, special adviser to DoC's marine conservation unit, said the department wanted to establish a wide network of marine reserves.

"We're going to have some that are in remote places to ensure we get a full representation of habitats."

Marine reserves cover 7.6 per cent of New Zealand's territorial waters, but only 0.3 per cent of its mainland marine environment.

Including fisheries bans on trawling, the figure rises to 3 per cent.

The Government has set a target of protecting 10 per cent of the mainland marine environment by 2010.