Summer is just about here and with it more time spent around water.

The Department of Conservation is stoked to let you know about the 19 new protected regions of the hauraki gulf, this has been the greatest increase in Aotearoa New Zealand's marine protection in over a decade to keep our waters beautiful for generations to come.

The new Protected Areas were all chosen to protect unique species such as black coral and important habitats like seagrass meadows and deepwater reefs.

Keep an eye out for the new teams of DOC Rangers out on the water educating the public and monitoring the effectiveness of these new regions.

Join us and DOC down at The Sir Peter Blake MERC at the southern end of Long Bay this Saturday from 9:00am for a Sausage Sizzle to answer any questions about these new Protections and to kick off the boating season right!

Latest Do’s and Don'ts

What you can and can't do in Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana marine protection areas

And finally, please educate yourself on protected zones (see map below.)

Department of Conservation – Te Papa Atawhai