five new mataitai

Great news in the ODT that five mataitai in Te Wai Pounamu came into effect last thursday. We are still waiting on the decision about the Otago Harbour mataitai (I have posted about that here and here).

What are mataitai? From DOC

"Mataitai reserves are created in areas of traditional importance to Maori for customary food gathering. Within them, tangata whenua are authorised by the Minister of Fisheries to manage and control the non-commercial harvest of seafood through a local committee.

Shellfish gathering

A tangata tiaki/kaitiaki can recommend bylaws to manage customary food gathering in keeping with local sustainable management practices, and issue customary food authorisations.

Mataitai reserves are permanent, though the bylaws can change over time. Once a mataitai reserve is established, commercial fishing is not allowed unless recommended by the tangata tiaki/kaitiaki. Maori and non-Maori may fish in mataitai reserves."

In regards to the Otago Harbour mataitai a commenter said,

"A better option would have been a Taipure . This allows discreet areas species to ring fenced if necessary In Blueskin Bay there is a Taipure."

I found this distinction

"The Tangata Kaitaki/Tiaki can propose bylaws regulating fishing in a Mataitai (species, quantities, size, fishing methods, areas); and these must be approved by the Minister. A taipure committee can recommend regulations under the Fisheries Act 1996 are promulgated, and the Minister may implement those recommendations.

The taipure regulations are required to treat people equally as no person can be refused access to or required to leave or cease to use any taiapure-local fishery because of the colour, race, or ethnic or national origins of that person or of any relative or associate of that person. (s185(5)).

 
The five new mataitai,  "Oreti Mataitai Reserve, near Invercargill, the Pikomamaku, Kihuka and Horomamae within the Titi Islands, and the Wairewa Mataitai Reserve, " are a great addition to sustainable management and protection of these important areas. And the even better news is that there are 31 other proposed mataitai under consideration.

"For the remaining applications, the required consultation between the local community and commercial fishers had been completed for 21 proposed mataitai, with the remaining 10 at various stages in the application process, MFish spatial allocations manager Randall Bess said.

Of those 31 applications, 20 were for South Island fishery waters and the remaining 11 were for the North Island."

Protection is part of kaitiakitanga. By respecting maori values we lift up everyone. I'm looking forward to more and more of these initiatives coming through.