The One Ocean Protest was organized primarily by recreational fishers and boaties concerned about fair access to marine resources in the Auckland region. The One Ocean Protest “movement” grew out of a post that Ben Chissell made in the NZ Fishing Community Facebook group, with him fronting interviews and speaking on behalf of the protest’s aims. Strong support came mainly from within the Auckland recreational fishing community as well as industry groups involved in boating, charter fishing, vessel and fishing tackle manufacturing, importing and sales.
The One Ocean Protest was coordinated with authorities to ensure safety and minimize disruptions. Organizers worked closely with NZ Police and transport agencies to ensure the protest was peaceful and safe. In spite of a last minute change of plan by the NZ Police, the Auckland convoy drew over five hundred vehicles, boats, and an estimated three to four thousand fishing people along the waterfront and across the Harbour Bridge, but passed with only minimal traffic disruption.
This was initially a response to the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Act, which created twelve new High Protection Areas (HPAs) banning all recreational fishing but permitting customary fishing and in two zones, limited commercial ring-netting exemptions. However the scope of protest increased in response to two proposals from Fisheries New Zealand’s wider review of 19 regulation changes.
- One would allow commercial fishers to keep and sell marlin that are dead when caught. Marlin have always been treated as a non-commercial species in New Zealand.
- The second proposal would allow commercial landing of 19 reef species taken as by-catch by trawl, Danish seine, and bottom-long-line gear. The list includes red moki, red pigfish, and boarfish. These fish have been protected from commercial exploitation for many years because of their vulnerability to depletion and their high value to recreational fishers and coastal communities. Many are slow-growing, site-attached, or important in local reef ecology.
The protest mainly represented recreational fishers and boaties concerned about fair access and marine biodiversity protection. They argued for no commercial fishing inside HPAs, open consultation in fisheries management, no new species added to the Quota Management System (QMS), opposition to the Government proposal to allow the landing of marlin by commercial operators, and prioritizing feeding Kiwis first.
The protest was generally silent in regard to customary fishing exemptions allowed in HPAs but on social media some supporters encouraged that policy decision to also be confronted.
The situation that spurred the protest indicates an ongoing conversation and tension between recreational fishers’ groups and with commercial fishing interests. Also regulatory authorities around how best to balance biodiversity protection with fishing rights in the Hauraki Gulf and elsewhere.
On 6 October 2025, Parliament passed the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill, and Minister Potaka issued an official statement describing this as a “bold new era” of protection for the Gulf. The Minister faced immediate criticism for a last-minute amendment allowing ring-net fishing in two of the eleven High Protection Areas (HPAs) at Kawau Bay and Motutapu / Rangitoto. He stated that the exemption was based on the claim that ring-net fishing has limited environmental impact beyond target species removal.
Fisheries Minister Shane Jones supported the exemption, emphasizing the protection of livelihoods of a small number of ring-net fishers who provide food to South Auckland during winter. Both ministers acknowledged the exemption as a necessary “transition” for family businesses, with the exemption grandfathered so no new fishers can enter under the same conditions once current ones retire or leave the industry.
Specific protest organising groups included recreational fishers’ associations and online community groups focused on fisheries managerial fairness and marine biodiversity protection. LegaSea, a vocal critic of the Quota Management System helped mobilize support for the protest which was coordinated to present a unified voice of recreational fishers and supporters seeking policy changes regarding commercial fishing rights inside marine protected areas.
Organisers emphasised that the protest was not about dividing commercial and recreational fishers but about addressing policy fairness and ensuring that public fishing rights are respected. People were encouraged to join, support, or watch the protest as it highlighted growing public involvement in marine policy decisions in New Zealand.
Media coverage and social media commentary described strong support from many recreational fishers, boating and tackle communities, and some coastal residents, who saw the protest as defending fairness in access and calling for consistent rules that apply equally to commercial and recreational users.
Protest organiser Ben Chissell told the NZ Herald that the Government should “take note” of the action. He said the turnout showed a desire for recreational anglers to be involved in decision-making related to fishing regulations.
“We need it to be fair for everyone; we all have a say. These (protestors) are the people who vote for some of these people that make the decisions. Time to start listening because this was organised on very short notice, we can do much bigger.”
At the same time, industry groups and some commentators stressed the importance of protecting small-scale fresh fish suppliers, disputed suggestions of broad commercial privileges, and urged a shift in focus toward wider stresses on the Gulf (such as sedimentation and pollution), illustrating a divided but highly engaged public conversation after the protest.
While there was no direct official government statement expressly addressing the planned protest event, the Government’s position as reflected through commentary from fishing industry organisations was that the protections largely prohibit commercial fishing, except for limited transitional exemptions. Following the protest, organisers reported a constructive meeting with Minister Jones the next day, and press coverage noted that this meeting led to an “urgent” or fast-tracked public submission window canvassing issues such as marlin and reeffish protections, suggesting the protest helped push these topics back onto the political agenda.
One Ocean Protest information was coordinated primarily through the movement’s social media, especially the One Ocean Protest Facebook and Instagram pages, which directed people to follow and stay informed. Coverage distinguishes between the One Ocean Protest group itself (centred on Chissell and volunteers coordinating the convoy) and advocacy organisations like LegaSea, which are described as independent but aligned views opposing specific marlin, reeffish, and Hauraki Gulf regulatory settings.
Media articles and social media posts describe the 22 November event as the “first” One Ocean Protest and as being part of a growing movement, language that strongly implies further mobilisations are on the table if policy outcomes are unsatisfactory.
