The Waiheke Marine Project began in April 2019, when a dedicated group of people from the Waiheke Collective became a sub-group and held a series of community meetings across Waiheke to call for volunteers to protect and regenerate the Waiheke Marine environment.
The project is an important pilot programme that could provide a model for implementation across Aotearoa/New Zealand showing how community consultation can help marine conservation and protection.
This is consistent with Sea Change Project 2016 (Tai Timu Tai Pari), when the Stakeholder Working Group considered that any marine protection proposals for Waiheke Island and Aotea-Great Barrier Island be developed by the communities themselves.
Actions of the Waiheke Marine Project
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Researching the science of the current state of the marine environment and how to protect it,
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Gathering existing information on rules, regulations, laws and policies that can protect the sea and assessing whether they are working,
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Talking with people who live and work on the island and who want to protect and regenerate the marine environment
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Holding key events to get diverse groups of people talking and listening to fishers (both commercial and recreational), boaties, iwi, landowners, business and tourism operators, students and rangatahi, government agencies, conservation groups, academics, scientists and any other interested parties.
Project goals
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Foster an ongoing, inclusive and consensus driven conversation about the health of the Waiheke Island marine space.
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Increase trust across the island’s diverse interests and resilience in the island community
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Raise visibility of Ngāti Paoa on Waiheke Island
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Build youth capacity for sustainable environmental care
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Coordinate action for marine regeneration on Waiheke Island
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Recommend options for Ahu Moana on Waiheke
To Learn more about the Waiheke Marine Project, Click here – https://www.waihekemarineproject.org/
To donate to the Waiheke Marine Project (or any other project we support). Click here – https://www.haurakigulfconservation.org.nz/support-us/donate/