A conservation leader is calling for urgent action to protect the critically threatened Māui dolphin, warning that destructive fishing practices continue to put one of Aotearoa’s rarest marine mammals at risk.
Natalie Jessup, General Manager of Tāngaro Tuia te Ora, says the fight to save the Māui dolphin must include stronger protections for the coastal habitats the species relies on for survival.
Māui dolphins are found only in Aotearoa and remain under serious threat from human activity, including fishing-related risks, pollution, disease, habitat degradation and the wider impacts of climate change.
Bottom trawling is a major concern for conservation advocates because it disturbs the seafloor, damages marine ecosystems and can affect the food chains and habitats that vulnerable species depend on. While set nets are widely recognised as the biggest fishing-related threat to Māui and Hector’s dolphins, trawl nets have also caught dolphins and remain part of wider calls for stronger marine protection.
Tāngaro Tuia te Ora has been advocating for an end to bottom trawling in sensitive marine areas, including habitats used by Māui and Hector’s dolphins. The organisation says protecting these areas is essential if Aotearoa is serious about preventing extinction.
Policy changes being called for include stronger no-trawl zones, greater protection across critical dolphin habitats, tighter regulation of fishing methods, better monitoring and enforcement, and long-term marine planning that places biodiversity and kaitiakitanga at the centre.
Jessup’s work also focuses on building community support for conservation. Tāngaro Tuia te Ora has been working with communities, iwi, environmental partners and advocates to raise awareness, support habitat protection and encourage collective action for endangered species.
For many Māori communities, the protection of Māui dolphins is connected to kaitiakitanga and the responsibility to care for te taiao for future generations. Conservation leaders say saving the species will require both strong policy and active community leadership.
Everyday New Zealanders are also being encouraged to play a role. People can support petitions calling for stronger marine protections, back organisations working to protect endangered species, choose seafood carefully, reduce pollution entering waterways and vote for policies that prioritise ocean health.
Advocates say the survival of the Māui dolphin is not just an environmental issue. It is a test of whether Aotearoa is prepared to act before a taonga species disappears.
With numbers critically low, conservation groups say the window for action is narrowing. The message from Tāngaro Tuia te Ora is clear: protecting the Māui dolphin means protecting its home.
