We are an Advisory Group jointly administered by the Regional Council and Department of Conservation to oversee a process to protect marine values on the Rocksea Coast while creating opportunities for tourism and recreation.
The Rocksea Coast is a picturesque coastal area some 30km long, including the town of Rocksea (resident population 12,000). There has been a Māori presence for a thousand years, and a strong iwi presence continues, with a large marae and associated housing on the outskirts of the town.
For the last 130 years Rocksea has been a service centre for the large agricultural hinterland as well as to a small commercial in-shore fishing fleet. Both these traditional economic activities are declining. Over the last 50 years there has been an increasing number of holiday homes in and around Rocksea, as well as retirement developments.
Part of the estuary, as well as an adjacent headland, is protected as a Wildlife Reserve. The longstanding proposal to establish a marine reserve adjacent to the newly established Rocksea Reef Marine Reserve is opposed by recreational and commercial fishers but has some support from ecotourism operators and local environmental groups. The iwi support a taiapure as an alternative.
There is a range of new small accommodation places and tourism service businesses, as well as a few new tours and other tourism activities (mainly marine-based). These have provided most of Rocksea’s recent commercial growth. The traditional range of summer visitors is slowly broadening to include more out-of-district and overseas visitors (mainly FITs).
Here are some steps and tools that this advisory group could use in an integrated approach to marine protection and tourism development. The order of steps and the suggested tools are just a guide. You may decide there are other things you need to consider as you go along.
Identify key stakeholders and iwi representatives and hold an initial workshop to identify coastal and marine values, threats and opportunities and available base-line information around these values including environmental status. It may also be beneficial to hold workshop with the wider community. Start with tools under Collaboration and structured participation.
Consider:
Having circulated the Advisory Groups findings on values, etc. to the wider community, hold a second workshop to verify values and management objectives. Look at tools under Valuation and allocation:
Consider:
Identify standards and limits to development that reflect the identified objectives and values and the current status of the values of the coastal environment. Look at tools under Recognising and setting limits and Impact assessment:
Consider:
Provide the wider community with information on the identified issues and options for marine protection and tourism development, obtaining public feedback, working with stakeholders to acknowledge conflicts and prepare an issues and options framework. Look at tools under Structured participation and Resource and tourism plans
Consider: