National's Hauraki Gulf fisheries policy: ring-nets, reserves and trawling
National would ban ring-net fishing in the Hauraki Gulf's high protection areas under its election fisheries policy.
The commitment was set out by oceans and fisheries spokesperson Todd McClay. It applies to ring-net fishing, where a net is set in a circle around a school of fish, not to all commercial fishing. RNZ initially described it as a complete commercial ban, then corrected it to ring-net fishing.
National said it would establish a new marine reserve off Waiheke Island if re-elected, and expand the Goat Island marine reserve. A marine reserve is a no-take area where removal of marine life is prohibited. No timeframe was set for the ring-net ban.
The party also proposed a ban on the commercial sale of marlin. It set an aim to lift protection from 32 percent to 50 percent of New Zealand's exclusive economic zone, the ocean area New Zealand manages, by 2040. RNZ
National did not propose a ban on bottom trawling, where nets are dragged along or near the seabed. It proposed a review of bottom trawling on seamounts, which are undersea mountains that support marine life. It proposed a $20 million fish tech innovation fund with the seafood sector to reduce bottom trawling impacts and improve fishing gear. It ruled out a recreational fishing licence. No licence is proposed.
The Green Party proposed a total ban on bottom trawling, starting with seamounts and ecologically significant areas like the Hauraki Gulf. It proposed an immediate ban on ring-net fishing in the Gulf's high protection areas. National set no timeframe for its ban.
Under the Hauraki Gulf / Tikapa Moana Marine Protection regulations, authorised ring-net fishing is allowed between 1 March and 31 August. The exemption applies only to kahawai, grey mullet and trevally.
Parliament passed the Hauraki Gulf protection law in 2025. According to the Department of Conservation, the Act protects productive marine areas from pressures including fishing, waste dumping and extraction. NZ Herald The law extends two existing marine reserves.
The passage followed dispute over commercial access. Conservation Minister Tama Potaka was advised not to allow commercial fishing in the protection zones. WWF described his last-minute changes to allow commercial fishing in protected areas as spineless. NZ Herald Seafood New Zealand later said claims that commercial fishing is allowed in two of 12 new High Protection Areas are misleading. NZ Herald
The broader context here is positioning rather than a settled regulatory design. The points to watch are the undefined timetable for the ring-net ban, the scope of a seamounts review compared with a legislated trawl ban, and how the Waiheke and Goat Island reserves would be progressed through statutory processes. The EEZ target and the innovation fund point to spatial protection and gear change over effort controls, while the rule-out on a recreational licence closes off one funding and management option. The contrast with the Greens gives other parties a clear choice on timing and method in post-election negotiations.
