Welcome

The West Coast of New Zealand's South Island features a wonderful and diverse marine environment.

This forum is run by local people to examine ways to protect our marine habitats and ecosystems on the West Coast.

A wide range of representatives make up the forum, including: community members, fishers, tangata whenua, conservation groups and local authorities.

The forum will discuss the Coast's role in maintaining New Zealand's marine habitats and ecosystems in a healthy, functioning state beyond 2020. Its objective is to implement the Marine Protected Areas Policy by establishing in consultation with communities, a network of Marine Protected Areas on the West Coast.

 

The new approved Marine Protected Areas Classification or Protection Standards have been released and can be downloaded from here:

MPA PDF MPA Policy FAQ
Visit the Department of Conservation's marine homepageVisit the Ministry of Fisheries Marine Protected Areas site