Banking on the Reserve - Marine reserve sparks local economy
Goat Island
Feeding frenzy
It's catching...
Schools of fish
The idyllic Goat Island Marine Reserve has transformed the Rodney District economy. And it's also pretty good for the fish.
Tom, aged six, sits perched on the edge of a bench seat, gazing through the glass bottom of a boat into seven metres of crystal-clear water.
His view of the sandy sea floor is interspersed with the vivid colours of blue maomao, red moki, silver drummer, and the occasional green-banded wrasse passing by or lolling in the gentle current.
He squeals, grabs his father's arm and points at a metre-long snapper drifting into view.
From the bow of the boat, their skipper and guide gives his enthralled passengers a running commentary - the likely age of the snapper, and its feeding habits.
This is a typical summer's day for Ivan Blackwell, owner of Glass Bottom Boats at the Goat Island Marine Reserve. He's one of many operators in the region who know from experience that nature and tourism go hand in hand.
For 12 years, he and wife Christina have been running their 49-seat Aquador on trips into the reserve and out around Goat Island, where visitors can see not only fish and birds, such as shags and petrels, but also, if they get lucky, dolphins, orcas and sharks.
The conservation success of New Zealand's first and most popular marine reserve is undeniable. Once a veritable marine desert decimated by overfishing, the reserve now teems with sea life. Lobster are 15 times more abundant in the reserve than in neighbouring areas; adult snapper are 30 times more abundant.
This marine life, along with the reserve's beaches and pristine waters, brings visitors flocking - making day and weekend trips from Auckland, or stopping off on a longer trip from further south or from overseas - keeping businesses like the Blackwells' afloat.
In the 33 years since the reserve was founded, the surrounding area has been transformed. Land that was once farmed is now planted in grapes and olives. Signs point to cafés and art galleries. Spend five minutes in the district and you know the economy is booming.
Though many factors are at play, Mike Smith of the Rodney District Economic Development Trust says the first driver of growth was the reserve.
'[It] spawned things like restaurants, cafés and that kind of thing. From that, the wineries have started… It has been a major catalyst in getting everything started. [And] it is still a significant part of the tourist trail from Warkworth to Goat Island.'
Five years ago the Trust estimated the Reserve's direct economic impact at $12.5 million a year - half of that going to food outlets such as cafés, and $2 million each going to retail and the area's burgeoning wineries. That annual figure was based on estimated visitor numbers of 260,000-300,000.
The Rodney report listed about 30 businesses, stretching from Leigh 20km south to Warkworth and including cafés, wineries, accommodation providers, horse trekkers, tour guides, and galleries all benefiting from the reserve - which, the report concluded, 'provides a unique family attraction with no admission charge'.
While the benefits of the reserve run into millions of dollars, the management costs are minimal. Its budget is just $70,000 a year.
Another study, carried out by Taylor Baines and Associates in 2003, reveals a dramatic rise in visitor numbers to the reserve over the years. In 1974/75, just 13,000 people visited; a decade later that number had risen to 42,000. Now more than 300,000 people visit each year.
The Taylor Baines study found that the reserve had directly led to the establishment of accommodation providers and cafés and restaurants in Leigh and the surrounding area.
Rodney-based DOC worker Thelma Wilson, who has lived and worked in the Leigh area for 18 years, says the changes she has seen in the reserve over that time are staggering.
'It used to be only keen and competent divers and snorkelers that came here… [but] about 10 or 15 years ago, children's wetsuits and snorkelling gear became quite affordable, and there was this huge influx of kids…
'Now you see more snorkelers, more kayaks, more activity operators, more families, a lot more kids, and a much more diverse bunch of people.'
On a typical summer's day, several thousand people might visit the reserve. Barefoot children in bathing suits will explore the rock pools, while people of all ages snorkel in the clear water off the rocky shore or paddle their kayaks to Goat Island.
Those who don't have their own snorkelling gear can rent it from Goat Island Dive, run by Julie George, husband Brian and son Chris.
The shop rents snorkels, masks and flippers - and also offers dive training courses teaching everything from introductory snorkelling to SCUBA diving up to dive master level. A dive course typically takes four days, so dive students either commute or stay nearby at places like Goat Island Camping, Leigh Fishing Lodge, or The Leigh Sawmill Café and Accommodation.
Visiting the reserve, says Julie, is 'a really, really perfect family day out'.
'It's free … and people just love the fact they can hop in the water and be surrounded by fish - which is pretty special really. There's nowhere else in New Zealand I know where you can do that without getting right offshore and diving.'
Jenny and Tony Enderby are awardwinning photographers, authors and marine educators.
Their work has appeared in international publications such as National Geographic Traveller and BBC Wildlife, and they have published books on New Zealand marine reserves and on the Goat Island reserve, as well as the Lonely Planet guide to diving and snorkelling in New Zealand.
In Leigh, they have found an opportunity to make a living, indulge their passions for diving and marine conservation, and enjoy a lifestyle they couldn't have had anywhere else.
'We're always trying to push, more than anything, the marine conservation aspect,' says Jenny. 'We do a lot of things on marine reserves in New Zealand - trying to point out how important they are.'
Between writing and photography, they take schoolchildren snorkelling and exploring the rocky shores at low tide, and they act as Department of Conservation marine reserve rangers, answering visitors' questions, keeping an eye on poaching, and doing 'odd jobs' such as making sure brochures about the reserve are available.
'Without the reserve, our work would be different. We may not have moved here or earned enough income to stay,' says Tony. 'Goat Island would be like the rest of the coast and we wouldn't have seen the business growth in the area.'
The Goat Island Marine Reserve bans the feeding of fish for very good reasons. Not only does feeding change the natural diet and feeding behaviour of fish (therefore hampering research into their natural habits) - it can also harm them.
Author and photographer Tony Enderby says litter dropped in the water - such as plastic food wrappers - has killed many fish.
But feeding fish can endanger people too. Tony recalls a dive instructor who tried to impress his students by placing pieces of sausage in his mouth and letting snapper take it from him.
'He unfortunately lost a large portion of his bottom lip to one of the very big snapper. He's no longer working in the region.'
Glass Bottom Boats owner Ivan Blackwell has seen people sprinkle peas into the water 'and then promptly plunge their face right in' to see what happens.
'They get their ears bitten, streaming blood, and that's fair enough. Fish are just being fish. It's like putting your hand in a lion cage with a big hunk of meat.'
Northland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Jeff Smith recently told the Whangarei Leader newspaper that the Goat Island Marine Reserve is a great example of the benefits a proposed new marine national park could bring to Northland.
The proposed marine national park, stretching from Whangarei Heads to the Poor Knights to Cape Brett, could '…have huge benefits for Northland. Aside from economic benefits…a park like this would also provide ecological, social, cultural benefits.' This marine national park concept is based on economic development principles along with an underlying sustainability focus.
The Leader said the Chamber of Commerce is researching how much money the proposed park could earn and other issues it may face. The Poor Knights Island as it stands pulls in about $10 million a year.
Many schools in Auckland and Northland organise trips to the Goat Island Marine Reserve. But for schools that would otherwise struggle to visit because of lack of funds, the DOC-supported Experiencing Marine Reserves (EMR) programme can help.
The programme has been operating since 2002. Though it is mainly focused on schools in Northland and Auckland, it also includes other parts of the country such as Wellington, Picton, Coromandel and Gisborne.
Programme director Samara Nicholas says children visiting the Goat Island reserve first have classes on marine life, practise snorkelling in their local pool, and then explore their local marine habitat. Then, when they go to the reserve, EMR provides guidance, education, as well as the snorkelling gear and safety management.
'A lot of the schools we work with here in Northland are lower-decile schools and just wouldn't be able to afford it if they had to hire their gear as well as pay for us… So we've allowed thousands and thousands of people - students, parents and members of school communities - to go to Leigh who probably never would have gone there otherwise.'
Though its main focus is intermediateage students, the EMR programme takes students of high-school age right down to five-year-olds. 'It's important to involve the whole school community. So we can take the little weenie ones as well as the big ones.'
Many children are inspired by their marine reserve experience and put what they've learned into action in their own community.
'One girl worked with her local district council to design and erect new signs about sand dune erosion… Another group did a whole lot of fund-raising and then donated the money to WWF for Maui's dolphin protection.
'They definitely maintain that conservation mentality and look at ways of raising community awareness [about marine conservation].'
The abundance of life in the reserve also makes it a perfect location for the University of Auckland's Marine Research Centre, where masters and doctoral students research everything from the behaviour and biology of specific species through to the effects of over-exploitation.
The research centre houses specialist chemistry and biology laboratories, and has a fleet of boats including a 15m research vessel.
Masters students typically stay for 18 months, and doctoral students for up to five years, before moving off to jobs in universities or research institutes, or other marine science roles.
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