Issues
The latest environmental issues and how you can get involved and help reach a solution.
New marine reserves raise a raft of questions for southern surfers as 10-year process finally bears fruit. We ask the experts how they even work, what implications there will be for surfing and fishing, and whether we should expect an increase in sharks over time. In early October this year,......
Following the Department of Conservation’s (DOC) announcement of six new marine reserves to be established along the southeastern coast of the South Island we delve into what they are and what they will mean for our coastline. Some of the early confusion with the unveiling stemmed from the addition of......
When the Department of Conservation (DOC) announced six new marine reserves to be the first established along the southeastern coast of the South Island in October, there was one glaring omission: The Catlins. While the six new marine reserves, dotted from Oamaru to just north of Bull Creek, aim to......
The Sub-Antarctic islands are a strange and mysterious place. A place where sea lions roam the mountain peaks, where penguins waddle through the remains of failed settlements, and where megaherb fields give you the feeling of being in the middle of a Dr. Seuss world. If you have ever felt......
The Government has banned collection of kaimoana from 70km of the Taranaki coast, giving legal backing to a rāhui that hapū placed on the area in January 2022. The two-year legal ban began on Friday, December 16, just before the summer holidays, when hapū of Taranaki iwi feared a fresh......
The Sea Society’s Sian Mair sits down with sea lion advocate and New Zealand Surf Journal founder, Derek Morrison, to discuss all things ocean inspired. From growing up in a rural location about as far from the sea as you could get to becoming inspired by the ocean. Sian explores,......
Decomposing whale carcasses have been described as being like “crack cocaine” to great white sharks. So when a young humpback whale washed up in close proximity to some of Dunedin’s best waves, the alarm bells started ringing. According to shark expert Riley Elliott, that’s for good reason. “Whale blubber is......
Surfing on the Otago Coast is a sublime experience most of the time, but the number of surfers who report supposed “near-death encounters” with sea lions is puzzling. According to Doc Coastal Otago Ranger Jim Fyfe, we’re reading them all wrong. In this film he offers us his cheat sheet......
Fisheries New Zealand is asking for feedback on proposed fisheries measures to further protect South Island Hector’s dolphins. Hector’s are the small wee dolphins that love to surf and hang out with humans – especially kids. An encounter with a Hector’s dolphin will brighten up anyone’s day, but they need......
New Zealand records its first Delta variant cases and is plunged back into lockdown mode at the highest level, which makes surfing illegal. Level 4 is a frustrating situation to find ourselves in once again, but unlike our first lockdown back in March 2020, the rules around surfing are very......