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About Taiāpure

 

  

The taiāpure concept

The Taiāpure mechanism was created under the Māori Fisheries Act 1989.  The intent of the Act was to make better provisions for Tangata Whenua to exercise rangitiratanga (chieftanship) and Treaty of Waitangi Article 2 rights associated with fishery management.

First a Management Committee is nominated by the Tangata Whenua and appointed by the Minister of Fisheries to run the 'taiāpure'.  This committee always includes several members of the Tangata Whenua, and often includes community representatives of other local stakeholders (like boating clubs, recreational and commercial fishers, tourism and aquaculture interests).  This committee is accountable to the Tangata Whenua in the first instance for protecting the fishery. It recommends regulations to the Ministry of Fisheries that will manage fishing to give effect to the purpose of a taiāpure. The Minister of Fisheries has reasonably broad discretion on establishing Taiāpure regulations (similar to other ‘fisheries regulations’) but unfortunately there are no firm guidelines or time lines for guiding the whole process of taiāpure establishment and passing of regulations.  The taiāpure concept differs markedly from the mātaitai concept as Taiāpure Managers have the ability to make local regulations for both commercial and non-commercial fishing - see our more general description of Area Management Tools for a fuller comparison.

Taiāpure offer a significant opportunity for local communities to assert values-based management in a way that is ‘tuned’ to local ecological and social conditions.  A primary objective is to ensure access to abundant and safe kai moana but often more general objectives to protect mauri and wairua (health of the local environment and people) emerge along the way (for example in the work done by the Taiāpure management committees to prevent poorly treated sewerage and other point sources of pollution).  A fuller description of taiāpure history, establishment procedures and goals can be viewed by downloading Nigel Scott’s PowerPoint presentation Taiāpure 101.

 

 

Established taiāpure

There are eight taiāpure established (year established and the area covered indicated):

  • Palliser Bay (Southern Wairarapa), 1995, 3 km2.

  • Maketu (Bay of Plenty), 1996, 55 km2.

  • Porangahau (Southern Hawkes Bay), 1996, 67 km2.

  • Waikare Inlet (Northland), 1997, 18 km2.

  • East Otago, 1999, 23 km2.

  • Kawhia Aotea (Waikato), 2000, 137 km2.

  • Whakapuaka (Delaware Bay, Nelson), 2002, 25 km2.

  • Akaroa Harbour (Banks Peninsula), 2006, 45 km2.

 

 

Proposed taiāpure

Three more taiāpure were under consideration by Ministry of Fisheries in July 2007:

  • Waka Tehaua  (the Bluff on Ninety-mile Beach)
  • Manukau Harbour
  • Te Puna (Mangonui) Inlet
    And the remaining area of Akaroa Harbour pending a decision on the Draft Marine Reserve Application.

 

Taiāpure Management Committees are now invited by Te Tiaki Mahinga Kai to create webpages for their own reserve, to tell everyone who you are and how you are managing the Taiāpure.  Your own website pages can also be used as your own private forum and organizer of your management processes and meetings if you so wish.  Contact Te Tiaki Mahinga Kai for advice or visit our network resource management page to get started by yourself. mahinga@otago.ac.nz. To visit the established pages for each proposed or gazetted Taiāpure, click on the name of the reserve in the two lists above.

 

 

Resources for Tangata Whenua seeking to establish and/or manage taiāpure:

The Ministry of Fisheries Pou Takawaenga exist to support Tangata Whenua in the processes of establishing and managing mātaitai, taiāpure and establishing of temporary closures.  Within the Ngāi Tahu takiwā, Nigel Scott from Toitū Te Whenua is the main facilitator working with Tangata Tiaki with the support of Pou Takawaenga from the Ministry of Fisheries. nigel.scott@ngāitahu.iwi.nz.

Downloads available include:

 

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