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Have Your Say on Caulerpa and the CAN Notices!


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Don't complain if you don't make a submission!

 

Looking at the future of exotic caulerpa Controlled Area Notices

Biosecurity New Zealand is inviting interested groups and individuals to provide input into a review of the Controlled Area Notices (CANs) that are being used to prevent spread of exotic caulerpa through human activities.
There are currently CANs in place at five locations: Aotea Great Barrier Island, Ahuahu Great Mercury Island, Waiheke Island, Hauturu-o-Toi/Little Barrier Island and Te Rāwhiti Inlet in the Bay of Islands, Northland. They vary but generally place some restriction on anchoring and fishing as these are high-risk activities for spreading this pest.
All these CANs will expire on 30 September 2025, and Biosecurity New Zealand is seeking feedback on three potential options.
These are:
·       Option 1 – No CANs and public information encouraging good biosecurity practices
·       Option 2 – Status quo – CANs for infested areas that meet certain criteria, with varying restrictions
·       Option 3 – A cross-regional CAN covering the habitable range for exotic caulerpa requiring checking and cleaning anchors and equipment ("Bag It, Bin It"). With this option, there could be stricter controls in specific high-risk zones
You can see details of the current CANs and information about the review at www.biosecurity.govt.nz/caulerpa-rules
Detailed information about the review
To provide feedback, use this online form
 
Please let me know if you would like to discuss further
Many thanks
Sophia
 
Sophia White | Programme Manager  - Caulerpa | Pest Management Group - Korowai o te Pūnehu
Pest Management Directorate | Biosecurity New Zealand - Tiakitanga Pūtaiao Aotearoa
Ministry for Primary Industries - Manatū Ahu Matua
Telephone: 04 831 4975 | Mobile: 022-012-6871 | Web: www.biosecurity.govt.nz
I work part-time hours and am typically not available on Tuesdays

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Fortunately the new areas seem less restrictive than previously. So, all of GBI is covered by restriction, but you can anchor everywhere except Tryphena and the Broken Islands. Maybe this is a realization that this isn't going away, no matter how much money is given to certain groups, and you can't stop people anchoring indefinitely

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The Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Act will come into force on 25 October 2025

 

HPA ;

You can

Carefully anchor your boat.

Snorkel, kayak, swim and boat, so long as you don’t harm marine life.

Take just a handful of shells or driftwood.

Practise authorised customary fishing.

 

You can't

Go recreational or commercial fishing.

Take any seafood, including by diving or collecting by hand.

Discharge sewerage and waste.

Land aircraft, including drones

Disturb sea life and habitats, such as construction, destruction, drilling, vibrations, explosions and introducing living organisms.

 

SPA

You can

  • Carefully anchor your boat.
  • Do low impact fishing, such as line fishing, spear fishing, diving, harvesting by hand, so long as you do not damage the sea floor.
  • Snorkel, kayak, swim and boat, so long as you don’t damage the sea floor.

You can't

  • Operate high impact fishing methods, such as, bottom trawling, dredging, Danish seining.
  • Discharge sewerage and waste.
  • Disturb sea life and habitats, such as construction, destruction, drilling, vibrations, explosions and introducing living organisms.

 

 

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3 hours ago, ex Elly said:

Red = no anchoring

Yellow = check and clean

Aotea-CAN-map-1-Oct-2025__ResizedImageWzYwMCw3MTJd.png?m=1759182056

 

Correction.

Red isn't "no anchoring"

Red is "your not supposed to anchor there unless you cannot safely make an alternative anchorage"

You are allowed to anchor in red zones - if you have an emergency or if you cannot safely make an alternative anchorage.

It is important people understand what the rules actually say.

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For @CarpeDiem and anyone else who may not actually understand the rules:

Refer to pages 9 and 10 of the CAN for Gt Barrier

Anchoring in emergencies

No person may anchor craft (such as boats) within an exotic caulerpa high-risk-zone unless they have been granted a permit. A permit is not required in the following situations:

1) In the event of an emergency that:

c) no other alternative safe sheltering locations or mooring can be easily acquired.

Noting that the skipper has sole responsibility for the safety of the boat, it is up to the skipper what constitutes an emergency and whether or not they can make an alternative anchorage safely.

I've had a hell of a lot of diesel bug this season, having to stop and clean the filters all the time. Just saying.

Controlled Area Notice: Exotic Caulerpa - Aotea Great Barrier Island

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Thank you for clarifying that “no anchoring” doesn’t apply if you’re in an emergency. I’m sure the entire boating community was waiting for that revelation and incredible insight.

Next you’ll be telling us that “no stopping” signs on the motorway don’t apply when your car catches fire.

The “unless you can’t safely make an alternative anchorage” line is literally the same safety clause on every no-anchoring area in New Zealand and everywhere else on the planet. It’s not a loophole, it’s just the bit of common sense that stops people from sinking.

Red means no anchoring. Explaining the emergency exception on a boating forum is like explaining that water is wet.

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9 hours ago, CarpeDiem said:

Thank you for clarifying that “no anchoring” doesn’t apply if you’re in an emergency. I’m sure the entire boating community was waiting for that revelation and incredible insight.

Next you’ll be telling us that “no stopping” signs on the motorway don’t apply when your car catches fire.

The “unless you can’t safely make an alternative anchorage” line is literally the same safety clause on every no-anchoring area in New Zealand and everywhere else on the planet. It’s not a loophole, it’s just the bit of common sense that stops people from sinking.

Red means no anchoring. Explaining the emergency exception on a boating forum is like explaining that water is wet.

Glad I could be of assistance.

Wouldn't want some newbie quietly sink his boat and drowning (or just getting into a whole world of sh*t with cascading problems) for fear of breaching some nonsense biosecurity rule.

Like I said, it's important to understand what the rules actually say, and they say you can anchor in red areas under certain circumstances. My main point is judging when those circumstances apply is the sole responsibility of the skipper of your vessel.

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