Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Act 2025

Preliminary provisions

7: How this Act applies biodiversity objectives

You could also call this:

"How the law helps protect the environment and its living things"

Illustration for Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Act 2025

This Act helps protect the environment by applying biodiversity objectives. You will see this when someone applies for a permit to do something in a protected area. The Director-General must think about how the activity will affect the environment. When the Director-General considers an application under section 34, they must look at how the activity will affect the biodiversity objectives. They can grant a permit if they think the activity will not harm the environment, as stated in section 37(1)(a)(i). The Director-General can also change or cancel a permit if the activity is harming the environment in a way they did not expect, as stated in section 40. The Act also allows for rules to be made to protect the environment in high protection areas, as stated in section 73(1)(b). This helps keep the area safe and healthy. This part of the Act is just a guide to help people understand how biodiversity objectives are applied.

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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=LMS960413.

Topics:

Environment and resources > Conservation

6: Meaning and purpose of biodiversity objectives, or

"What are biodiversity objectives and why are they important?"

8: Transitional, savings, and related provisions, or

"Rules to help change to the new marine protection law"

Part 1Preliminary provisions

7How this Act applies biodiversity objectives

This Act applies biodiversity objectives in the following ways:
in relation to an application made under section 34 for a permit to undertake a prohibited activity within a seafloor protection area or a high protection area,—
1. section 36(b) provides that the Director-General must consider the anticipated effects of the activity on the biodiversity objectives for the seafloor protection area or high protection area when considering the application; and
2. section 37(1)(a)(i) provides that the Director-General may grant the permit if satisfied that the activity is consistent with any biodiversity objectives for the seafloor protection area or high protection area:
section 40 provides that the Director-General may revoke a permit, or amend any condition of the permit, if the Director-General considers that the activity is inconsistent with the biodiversity objectives for a seafloor protection area or high protection area in a manner not anticipated at the time the permit was granted, or is inconsistent with any new or amended biodiversity objectives established after the permit was granted:
section 73(1)(b) provides for the making of regulations that regulate activities occurring within a high protection area as reasonably necessary to give effect to the biodiversity objectives for the area.

Subsection (1) is only a guide to the application of biodiversity objectives in this Act.