Marine Reserves Act (No. 15 of 1971).

The aim of this Act, consisting of 25 sections, is to provide for the setting up and management of areas of the sea and foreshore as marine reserves for the purpose of preserving them in their natural state as the habitat of marine life for scientific study. Section 4 empowers the Governor-General to declare, by Order in Council, an area to be a marine reserve. "Area" is defined in section 2 as (a) any part of the seabed vertically below an area of the surface of (i) the territorial sea or (ii) the internal waters of New Zealand; or (b) the foreshore of the coast of New Zealand, and includes any water at any material time upon or vertically above it. Areas in respect of which leases or licences exist under the Marine Farming Act of 1971 may not be included in marine reserves. No person shall fish in a marine reserve, except by virtue of a permit under the Fisheries Act 1983 or if authorized by notice in the Gazette (sect. 3.3). Existing mining interests may continue to be exercised in marine reserves only to the extent that they can be exercised under this Act (sect. 4.6). Each marine reserve shall be controlled and managed by a management committee, as established by the Minister of Conservation, which shall be composed of 1 member of the Department of Conservation, 4-6 scientific experts of which 1 represents the interests of the public in relation to the reserve, 1 officer of the Ministry of Agriculture (sect. 7). Among others, such committees have the power to issue by-laws in respect of their reserve for the following purposes: (a) management, safety and preservation of the reserve and marine life therein, scientific study; (b) keeping in order of the reserve; (c) excluding the public from any part(s) of the reserve; (d) conditions of access or exclusion from reserves; (e) conditions on which persons may remain on reserves (sect. 13). The remainder of the Act deals with administrative matters, powers of rangers, offences and penalties.