The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Country

Fishing industry among submitters on Whangārei iwi marine and coastal customary claim

By Te Rina Kowhai
Whakaata Māori·
18 Sep, 2024 07:30 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The Māori Land Court.

The Māori Land Court.

Groups interested in the Whangārei coastline have had their evidence heard in the Māori Land Court as part of the second phase of the Marine and Coastal Act applications.

These groups include 16 iwi and hapū from Whangārei, as well as fishing and recreational groups who have an interest in access to the area.

Rock lobster fisherman Daryl Sykes said the expression in customary fishing rights can directly impact on the exercise of commercial fishing rights, “and I think the industry works very hard with customary interests to avoid those circumstances”.

From a rock lobster industry point of view, he said: “The idea is the fisheries come first, and from then, all benefits flow. So if we start from that position, we try and make sure that all interested parties are working towards the same outcome.”

Another witness who gave evidence, an expert in conservation, said: “What we are trying to achieve is to preserve that type of amenity at Langs Beach for the community and at the public at large. So very much trying to preserve these activities for everyone.”

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Ngatiwai Treaty Settlement
Ngatiwai Treaty Settlement

Fight for customary rights continues for Ngātiwai

Ngātiwai is one of 16 iwi and hapū groups seeking a customary marine title (CMT) for rights across Whangārei Harbour and the Whangārei Coast area.

Ngātiwai board chairman Aperahama Edwards told Te Ao Māori News: “Ko te papa tai moana ko te moana tae atu ki nga moutere he whenua whakahirahira ki a Ngāti Wai katoa, Ngātiwai whānui tae atu ki ngā hapū huri ki te takiwā o Whangārei Terenga Paraoa.”

“From coastal lands to the sea, out to the islands, are all significant areas to Ngātiwai, and the wider Ngātiwai tribe as well as the subtribes of the area of Whangārei Terenga Paraoa.”

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

A group of elders from Te Parawhau were at the hearings on Wednesday, with many waiting 40 to 50 years to get CMT recognition for their hapū.

Heeni Tuhiwai McGrath, who has been at each Marine and Coastal Area hearing since it started in February, said: “Well, I am coming up to 80 [years of age] and I’ve been fighting for our rights.”

Te Parawhau is one of the dominant Whangārei hapū that sits between Ngāpuhi from the North and Ngāti Whātua from the south.

A spokesperson for the hapū, Forrester Hilton, said: “So when they steal all your land, you can no longer claim it, so now it’s just another moving of the goalpost”.

That goalpost is the Marine and Coastal Area bill about to change under this coalition government. Treaty Minister Paul Goldsmith confirmed last week the exact percentage awarded for customary title was still to be determined.

This came off the back of the Urgent Inquiry Stage One Report (Marine and Coastal Area Act 2011) in which the Waitangi Tribunal found the Treaty had been breached several times by the Crown.

Questioned in Parliament on Wednesday, Goldsmith said: “All New Zealanders have interest in what goes on in the Marina and Coast Area space and those are substantially taken away from the customary marine title and so there was always going to be a high threshold and that is what the legislation covered.”

The hearings for the second phase of the Marine and Coastal Area are due to finish today.

The 16 groups, include Ngātiwai, Patuharakeke, Te Parawhau, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whātua, Ngāti Pūkenga, Te Wairāriki, Ngāti Kororā and Ngāti Takapari, along with many smaller whānau groups.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from The Country

The Country

Northland wetland case highlights RMA challenges amid reforms

11 Jun 05:00 PM
The Country

How the Rural Advocacy Hub is bringing unity to Fieldays

11 Jun 04:59 PM
The Country

'We're here to grow value': Govt announces grass-fed cert scheme, $17m resilient pasture programme

11 Jun 05:00 AM

Clean water fuelling Pacific futures

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

Northland wetland case highlights RMA challenges amid reforms

Northland wetland case highlights RMA challenges amid reforms

11 Jun 05:00 PM

The Environment Court approved an agreement for wetland remediation.

How the Rural Advocacy Hub is bringing unity to Fieldays

How the Rural Advocacy Hub is bringing unity to Fieldays

11 Jun 04:59 PM
'We're here to grow value': Govt announces grass-fed cert scheme, $17m resilient pasture programme

'We're here to grow value': Govt announces grass-fed cert scheme, $17m resilient pasture programme

11 Jun 05:00 AM
The 17-year-old Queenstown rodeo star off to the US

The 17-year-old Queenstown rodeo star off to the US

11 Jun 04:27 AM
It was just a stopover – 18 months later, they call it home
sponsored

It was just a stopover – 18 months later, they call it home

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP