Under new proposals by the current government, bottom trawling and Danish seining fishing methods would be banned in most of the Hauraki Gulf. The ban could cover up to 89% of the marine park, significantly expanding from the current 27% of the Gulf where these methods are already prohibited. This is part of a broader plan to better protect the 1.2-million-hectare Hauraki Gulf Marine Park and is accompanied by the creation of new marine protection areas and an ecologically based fisheries plan. The ban aims to protect ecologically significant benthic areas while allowing limited trawling in specific corridors to minimize environmental harm

. Additionally, there is a three-year ban on commercial and recreational crayfish (spiny rock lobster) fishing in the inner Hauraki Gulf , effective from April 1, 2025. This closure targets the depletion of crayfish populations and aims to restore marine habitats affected by kina barrens caused by the lack of crayfish predators

. In summary, the key fishing types being banned under current government proposals in most of the Hauraki Gulf are:

• Bottom trawling and Danish seining over the majority of the Gulf area (up to 89% coverage).
• Commercial and recreational spiny rock lobster (crayfish) fishing in the inner Hauraki Gulf for three years starting April 2025.