Marine reserve close to gulf

By ANNE BESTON

The country's newest marine reserve is on Auckland's doorstep.

Te Matuku Bay marine reserve at Waiheke Island - the first approved in the North Island for four years - is half as big again as the popular Goat Island reserve near Leigh.

It becomes Auckland's third marine reserve along with Long Bay on the North Shore and Pollen Island in the upper Waitemata Harbour.

Conservation Minister Chris Carter, acknowledging that recreational fishers might not whole-heartedly welcome the 700ha reserve, said it would boost stocks in surrounding fishing grounds in the inner Hauraki Gulf.

He also hoped an increase in marine and bird life would eventually attract divers and visitors, as had happened at Goat Island and Long Bay.

Goat Island draws about 200,000 visitors a year, putting the reserve under environmental pressure.

Mr Carter was not concerned that the new reserve has an oyster farm slap-bang in the middle of it.

"The small oyster farm will continue," he said.

Te Matuku Bay reserve includes freshwater and saltwater wetlands, mangrove forest, inter-tidal mudflats that are home to a wide variety of wading birds, and the deep waters of the Waiheke Channel.

"Best of all, it is close to New Zealand's largest city," Mr Carter said.

The reserve includes Whites Bay to the west but not Orapiu to the east. It stretches out to Passage Rock in the channel and over to Ponui Island's Kauri Point.

It is a relatively remote area of the heavily populated island, about 40 minutes by car from the ferry terminal at Matiatia.

Forest and Bird marine researcher Barry Weeber said the reserve would be New Zealand's sixth-largest and the estuary at Te Matuku Bay was home to banded dotterels, terns, godwits and oystercatches.

He said the reserve would become a good diving spot, although water clarity could not compare with other reserves such as the Poor Knights.

New Zealand has 16 marine reserves, the largest at the Kermadec Islands. The last one created, last year, is at the Auckland Islands in the sub-Antarctic group.