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Greetings readers! Today is officially the last blog post I’ll be posting as we are making one last stop in New Zealand before heading home. As this is my first time visiting I had no idea of the decade long fight for marine protected areas (MPA) here in New Zealand. Since 2014 members from fields in conservation, commercial fishing, and science came together to devise two plans for marine conservation which were submitted to the government after four years of hard work. These plans were created with the hope of finding a balance between protecting New Zealand’s incredible marine ecosystems and supporting the people whose livelihoods depend on the ocean. There was push back from commercial fishers who did not agree with the more ambitious of the two plans because of the possible effect to the fishing industry. However, in 2019 the government proceeded with the plan which lays out 12 MPAs. Years later the government finally approved the 6 marine reserves plus other types of protected areas with less strict protections. From my point of view this seems fantastic for the local marine life here in New Zealand and as Limu and I have cruised through the waters these past couple days things seem calmer and cleaner than many other places we’ve visited. It has been amazing to see how much life can thrive when an area is given the opportunity to recover and is protected from some of the pressures caused by human activity. However, understandably there were organizations dependent on certain areas for fishing that didn’t fully approve of this plan. Such as the Otago Rock Lobster Industry Association who challenged the government with a case centered on an area of a reserve which was crucial to the lobster industry. As of now a settlement was reached that this reserve would be subject to “limited recondsideration”. With respect to the communities’ concerns about how these reserves will affect certain economies it’s also highly important to recognize how those fish populations will be affected if they aren’t protected. With the ongoing impacts of global warming causing ocean temperatures to rise there’s an even greater risk of overfishing these very delicate ecosystems. Warmer waters and other environmental changes can already put stress on marine species, so adding excessive fishing pressure could make it even harder for populations to recover.  I think it’s important for both sides to come to agreement on how these marine reserves will impact fishing industries and also the health of sea life. Because if these animals and coral reefs aren’t being protected there’s a significant possibility that populations would decline and there would be nothing to fish anyways. As Limu and I prepare to head home, I’m leaving New Zealand with a much greater appreciation for the effort that goes into protecting our oceans. It’s been wonderful to visit so many places with unique and diverse cultures and my travels have taught me so much about the challenges marine ecosystems face. 

https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/new-zealand-opens-marine-reserves-with-groundbreaking-maori-co-management-model/