Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Act 2025

Marine reserves, seafloor protection areas, and high protection areas - Seafloor protection areas and high protection areas - Activities to which prohibitions do not apply

24: Small-scale removal of natural material in seafloor protection areas and high protection areas

You could also call this:

"Removing small amounts of natural material from protected sea areas for personal use"

Illustration for Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Act 2025

You can remove some natural material from seafloor protection areas and high protection areas. You can take sand from a seafloor protection area, despite what section 17(2)(f) says. You can also take sand, shingle, non-living shell, or other non-living natural material from a high protection area, despite what section 21(2)(c) says. You can only take a small quantity of material, and you must do it for non-commercial purposes. You cannot use machinery or cutting equipment to collect the material. When we say "other non-living natural material", we mean things like driftwood, but not aquatic life. A "small quantity" means no more than you can carry in one day, in one trip, on your person.

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This page was last updated on 28 October 2025

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS882810.

Topics:

Environment and resources > Conservation

23: Ring net fishing for authorised persons in certain high protection areas, or

"Authorised ring net fishing is allowed in some protected areas"

25: Anchoring in seafloor protection areas or high protection areas, or

"Anchoring in protected sea areas must not harm aquatic life."

Part 2Marine reserves, seafloor protection areas, and high protection areas
Seafloor protection areas and high protection areas: Activities to which prohibitions do not apply

24Small-scale removal of natural material in seafloor protection areas and high protection areas

If a person complies with subsection (2), the person may do the following:
despite section 17(2)(f), remove sand from a seafloor protection area:
despite section 21(2)(c), remove sand, shingle, non-living shell, or other non-living natural material from a high protection area.

A person who removes sand, shingle, non-living shell, or other non-living natural material from a seafloor protection area or high protection area—
may remove only a small quantity of the material; and
may do so only for non-commercial purposes; and
must not use a method of collection that involves the use of machinery or cutting equipment.

In this section,—
other non-living natural material—
1. includes driftwood; but
2. does not include aquatic life
small quantity means no more than a person can carry on their person, in a single trip, in 1 day.