G.I.F.T works collaboratively with the Hauraki Gulf Forum to enhance the mauri of Tīkapa Moana/Te Moana-nui-ā-Toi. The Hauraki Gulf Forum produces a three-yearly State of our Gulf report which tracks key environmental indicators for the Hauraki Gulf. The Forum also helped initiate the collaborative stakeholder process which produced New Zealand’s first marine spatial plan, Sea Change Tai Timu Tai Pari.
G.I.F.T grant applications are assessed on their alignment to the environmental challenges identified in the latest State of our Gulf report and the opportunities identified in Sea Change Tai Timu Tai Pari.
Hauraki Gulf Marine Park
Challenges
The Hauraki Gulf – Tīkapa Moana/ Te Moana-nui-ā-Toi is a taonga or treasure with national significance. It became New Zealand’s first marine park in 2000, but is ailing due to human activity. The Hauraki Gulf Forum’s 2017 State of our Gulf report states that the Gulf has been radically transformed in the last two generations in particular (p29):
“Native terrestrial [land] species have been driven to extinction, native forests and vast wetlands have been cleared and replaced with pastoral land or urban development, water quality has been greatly reduced by contaminants and sediment, ecologically important marine habitats have been destroyed, fish populations have been greatly depleted, and te ao Māori (the world of Māori) has been ruptured. Damage caused by boom and bust industries, such as mining, native forest logging, and mussel dredging has left a lasting environmental legacy. These historical effects have been compounded by ongoing development, commercial activity and a growing demand for the Gulf’s treasures”
To learn more about the key issues affecting the Hauraki Gulf, click here to read the full state of our gulf report or read the summary.
Opportunities
Sea Change – Tai Timu Tai Pari was a project established in 2013 to act to reverse this decline. The Sea Change process was led by a governance group representing a partnership between mana whenua and local and central government agencies, having equal membership.
The development of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Spatial Plan was guided by the following vision:
“He taonga tuku iho – treasures handed down from the ancestors Tīkapa Moana / Te Moana-nui-ā-Toi – the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park is vibrant with life, its mauri strong, productive, and supporting healthy and prosperous communities.”
The Sea Change process led to the writing of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Spatial Plan which provides a road map for the restoration of Tīkapa Moana/Te Moana-nui-ā-Toi.
The Hauraki Gulf Marine Spatial Plan is broadly divided into four parts which group the related chapters and issues. Each chapter contains a description of the current situation, identifies objectives for the subject matter and a series of recommended actions for implementing these objectives.
Click here to read the Sea Change Tai Timu Tai Pari summary or the full report.