Ben Chissell, organiser of the One Ocean Protest in Auckland on 22 November 2025, fishing on the Hauraki Gulf, with his family. Photo: supplied
Recreational fishers are towing their boats through the streets of Auckland tomorrow -- in protest at rule changes which allow limited commercial fishing inside two new High Protection Areas.
12 new HPAs, in which all fishing is banned, came into effect late last month when the Hauraki Gulf Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill was passed into law.
But in a late amendment to the bill, commercial ring net fishing was permitted in two of them.
Aucklander Ben Chissell is the founder of the Facebook group NZ Fishing Community which has 110,000 members. He's one of the organisers of tomorrow's action, under the banner One Ocean Project.
He says recreational anglers aren't opposed to High Protection Areas, but they're unhappy with the exception for commercial fishers - and he expects a huge turnout tomorrow.
Environment Minister Tama Potaka says local ring-net fishing for common species will only be allowed in three percent of the total 800 kilometres of high protection areas and be up for review after three years.
He says the legislation "ensures we balance the needs of communities, the environment and the economy".
Seafood NZ says the exception is a just transition for a "small number of fishers using a very low-impact fishing method".
