Maui's dolphins project: the area

A region populated by perpetrators and guardians

The Maui's dolphin lives on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. Its range stretches around 300km along the shore. It's an area thriving with marine life.

Last year, one local harbour had resident seals for the first time in years and three visits by Orca whales. The rich estuaries are important breeding grounds for a number of fish species.


Critical habitat for Maui's dolphin
Maui's dolphins are found in isolated pockets within 10 km of the shore along the North West coast of New Zealand's North Island (their exact range is currently being surveyed).

This habitat is critical for Maui's dolphin, they need to be relatively close to shore, particularly in summer, because this is where all the best sources of food are found.

During summer they are mostly seen within 1.85 kilometeres (1 nautical mile) of the coast. It is thought that individuals remain within the same 60km stretch of coast all their lives.

Important fishing region
As a country surrounded by water, New Zealand has a large fishing industry (it's the 4^th largest export earner) and many New Zealanders have an interest in recreational fishing. This has a big impact on Maui's dolphins.

There are local fishers still using gill nets illegally. Commercial fishermen are trawling for species such as snapper and tarakihi. One local conservation group in Raglan hopes that someday eco-tourism may take over the commercial fishing priorities.