Hauraki Gulf Forum

What is the Hauraki Gulf Forum?

The Hauraki Gulf Forum (HGF) is a statutory body, which promotes and facilitates integrated management and the protection and enhancement of the Hauraki Gulf, under the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Act 2000.

We administer the Hauraki Gulf Forum.

State of our Gulf assessment

The Hauraki Gulf Forum produces a triennial assessment (every three years) of the state of the Hauraki Gulf and the responsiveness of agencies to strategic issues.

State of our Gulf 2023

Visit the State of Gulf website for details.

Annual reports

The forum is required to present an annual report on the exercise of its powers, the carrying out of its functions, and progress towards achieving its purposes to the House of Representatives by 31 August every year.

The forum reports on:

• how it exercises its powers
• how it carries out its functions
• the progress towards achieving its goals.

Visit the Hauraki Gulf Forum website for details.

​Members of the Hauraki Gulf Forum

Hauraki Gulf Forum members are:

• representatives of the Ministers of Conservation, Fisheries and Māori Development
• elected representatives of Auckland Council, Waikato Regional Council, Thames-Coromandel, Hauraki, Waikato and Matamata-Piako District Councils
• representatives of the tangata whenua of the Hauraki Gulf and its islands appointed by the Minister of Conservation.

Forum meetings and agendas

The Hauraki Gulf Forum meets quarterly to examine issues related to the integrated management of the Hauraki Gulf.

Meetings are open to the public.

For recent HGF meetings and agendas, visit our agendas and minutes page.

Strategic issues

The Hauraki Gulf Forum is required to identify and prioritise strategic issues.

Its current focus is on three priority topics:

1. Improving integrated management through collaborative planning, informed decision-making and action.
2. Restoring water quality values by addressing land use activities that degrade those values.
3. Recognising those critical marine values and ecosystems through advocating for protection, restoration and enhancement.

Within these priority topics, there are a range of strategic issues the Hauraki Gulf Forum will focus on.

Tīkapa Moana/ Hauraki Gulf Forum updates

Visit Valuing the Hauraki Gulf: An ecosystem services and natural capital approach on the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) website for details.

Sea Change - Tai Timu Tai Pari

View the Sea Change website for details.

Supporting Documents

The Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Act Guidance Series

The Hauraki Gulf Forum produces a series of guides on policy-making and management practices in relation to the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Act.

​Seabirds of the Hauraki Gulf

​The Gulf Journal

The main source of information on the Hauraki Gulf Forum is the Gulf Journal website.

Media and educational partnerships

The HGF works with media and education partners to communicate the special qualities of the Hauraki Gulf, and opportunities to protect and enhance it.

View the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park seminar

View the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park poster series

View the Community Shellfish Monitoring Programme

Supporting collaborative responses

Bryde's Whale Ship Strike

The Hauraki Gulf Forum acts as secretariat for the Bryde's Whale Ship Strike Collaborative Group.

The group supports and monitors the shipping industry's response to a transit protocol designed to reduce the risk of collisions with whales.

For more information about the transit protocol, see the Ports of Auckland website.

Seabird smart fishing

The Hauraki Gulf Forum supports the work of the Black Petrel Working Group and the Southern Seabird Solutions Trust.

Visit the Southern Seabird Trust website.

Maps of Hauraki Gulf

​Contact Hauraki Gulf Forum

eo@haurakigulfforum.org.nz