Protecting the Coromandel and Hauraki Gulf marine environment is the focus at Tairua-Pauanui hui

Christina McGrath is organising Amplify festival in Whangamata with mini events aimed at ocean and fisheries protection and awareness raising. Photo / Alison Smith

Concerns over the Coromandel's fishery and the impact of humans on the local marine environment have inspired a call for people to unite and share the good efforts already being made.

Ocean lovers from Tairua, Pauanui, Whangamata and Mercury Bay communities are being called to join a hui at Tairua Sports Fishing Club on October 31 to find out what's happening in the ocean protection space locally.

To sweeten the experience, an ocean-inspired art event will precede the event from 11am to 12.30pm.

Another event, Amplify, is planned in Whangamata early next year to merge wellbeing with environmental and ocean protection initiatives.

Organisers say the Tairua meeting aims to share efforts to protect the Coromandel's fisheries, confirm community aspirations, inform those attending how best to formalise a group and be most effective, and learn what other community groups are doing in other areas of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park.

"This is for anybody with a memory of or strong connection to this beautiful place," Evan Vaughters says.

"Once we are in a position to formalise an ocean protection group, there could be quite a bit of interest and awareness of people in our community willing to get involved."

Evan was among the organisers of an event in Whitianga in mid-July, with speakers including Ngati Hei kaumātua Joe Davis and Dr Tim Haggit, that shared various community and industry perspectives and "got people talking".

It was followed up with a workshop and the group in Mercury Bay began a Facebook page called Coromandel Ocean Protection to share recordings of the events.

Evan said during that initial hui there was conflicting evidence from the scientists and the industry that presented, and a report was prepared afterwards.

The workshop ensured interested parties from commercial fishermen to recreational fishing associations, biologists and others who were interested could sit with each other.

"We encouraged people to sit down with people they didn't know and asked them to think, unrestrained, what their vision was for the Hauraki Gulf and the issues, and their one wish for a fix.

"Considering the diverse array of interests we have at the moment we have this unique opportunity — it is not just 'a bunch of greenies' at the table. People might not agree that locking areas up is a solution but we've got these groups willing to talk."

The movement has not reached out to the west side of the Coromandel yet but the aim is to focus local but be part of a wider Coromandel initiative.

"There's no sense in us all going off and reinventing the wheel. Let's join together."

Since the Mercury Bay hui, word has spread around the peninsula and Evan said a contingent in Tairua and Whangamata are discussing similar concerns.

"The real interesting thing for me is whether this is going to be a talkfest with no real change, but when everyone is off doing their own thing in isolation, there's nobody just pulling these people together in the same direction, so I realised that that in itself is of high value."

He believed the community was taking a leadership role on fisheries and ocean protection.
Outrage at the mass taking of the Coromandel coast's pink maomao — a slow-growing fish species not included in bag limits — led to nationwide consultation on urgent legislative change, after Coromandel locals patrolled wharves and reported sightings to the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).

Fisheries New Zealand has since called for public input to proposed tightening of recreational take rules after the alleged "wholesale slaughter" of pink maomao by groups of fishermen filmed in Tairua.

The public are encouraged to submit views before November 18.

"A lot has happened just in the last three months," says Evan, "and we want to bring together that contingent and other interested parties who've shown interest in these issues to discuss and record objectives."

Key documents have also been released by MPI off the back of the Seachange process and Waikato Regional Council is doing its regional coastal plan, along with numerous groups already working on beneficial ocean protection projects.

LegaSea spokesman Sam Woolford said it was hugely important that people were aware of work already happening in the ocean and fishery space to avoid hindering efforts.

• Register to attend this free event by calling Christina, ph 021 293 5688.