Issues
The latest environmental issues and how you can get involved and help reach a solution.
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......
Despite an increase in shark sightings and one fatality this summer in New Zealand, the future of our shark populations has long had marine scientists concerned. Now, the results of a new Nature study show just how grim things really are. Marine biologist Melissa Cristina Márquez, also known as the......
They can rattle even the most hardcore surfer with their lunges and antics, but according to Department of Conservation Coastal Otago ranger Jim Fyfe, we’re reading them all wrong. Jim explains how we can co-exist in the waves … In this short film (see below) Jim Fyfe shares his wisdom......
Monster waves in the Southern Ocean could grow even bigger and more frequent under climate change, scientists warn. Science journalist Jamie Morton explains what’s going on in the southern latitudes storm engine. Extreme waves in the wild and windswept ocean below New Zealand, stretching across notorious latitudes dubbed the “roaring......
Momentum for the environment may be building painstakingly slowly within the surf industry, but not for the three New Zealanders driving Spooked Kooks recycled surfboards out of Bondi. It was during a morning session at Sandy Bay, that I had my first encounter with a Dead Hippy. It was under......