New Zealand opens marine reserves with groundbreaking Māori co-management model

Five marine protected areas in southeast New Zealand became official on July 1, 2026, forming a network called Te Au Roa o Te Rakihouia, co-managed by the Māori tribe Kāi Tahu and the Department of Conservation — the country's first reserves run through shared Indigenous-government decision-making and a joint ranger team.

The network followed more than a decade of forum work beginning in 2014, contrasting with a 2015 top-down plan for a giant Kermadec sanctuary that collapsed after inadequate consultation with Māori fishing rights holders. The Department of Conservation committed roughly NZ$7 million (about US$4 million) from 2023-2027, funded by reprioritizing other conservation money.

A sixth reserve, Te Umukōau, remains blocked after commercial rock lobster fishers won a legal challenge arguing inadequate consultation; a December 2025 settlement calls for 'limited reconsideration' of its boundaries, with no new opening date set.

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