The Motukawao Islands, made up of 11 islands in the Hauraki Gulf, have been Māori land administered by the Ngamotuaroha Trust since its establishment in 1970.
The islands have been held as a sacred taonga by the mana whenua of Hauraki, acting as a vital sanctuary of regenerating native bush and breeding grounds for seabirds like gannets.
Carrying forward the aspirations of their ancestors, the Trust secured $832,100 in funding through the Jobs for Nature initiative to transform the islands into a pest-free sanctuary.
However, Kylie Turoa, a trustee who spoke to Te Ao Māori News, noted that recent restoration work revealed unauthorized visitor landings, with rubbish left behind on the islands. Turoa emphasized that this behavior deeply concerns the Trust, threatening the biodiversity work and disrupting an initiative rooted in their sacred duty of kaitiakitanga to protect the ancestral landscape for future generations.
Restrictions to the islands
The islands are private Māori land, meaning access is strictly governed by owners and trustees under Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993.
Despite clear signs warning “Private Property” and “Please do not land,” Turoa told Te Ao Māori News that visitors have continually disrespected the sanctuary.
“When we took over and did the Jobs for Nature and restorations on the islands, we noticed lots of rubbish and human waste,” Turoa said.
“We’ve had issues for a while with people going onto the islands, in particular commercial operators that take people out there.”
She emphasized that unauthorized landings risk introducing unwanted pests, disrupting sensitive seabird breeding grounds, and undermining months of vital conservation work.
“It’s an issue that we’ve had ongoing for quite a few years, and we’ve had to speak to quite a few operators,” she said.
The trespass notice
Following ongoing unauthorized landings, the Trust issued a formal trespass notice on July 30 to Anglers Lodge Coromandel Limited.
The issue came to light after an iwi member spotted advertisements promoting access and fishing on the islands.
The formal notice shows it was issued under Section 4 of the Trespass Act 1980 following activities that included dropping off customers and leaving equipment, bait, waste, and human debris across the 11 islands of the Motukawao group.
The two-year warning strictly bans the lodge and its representatives from landing on, entering, occupying, or fishing from any of the Trust’s land. It also prohibits them from advertising or facilitating customer landings without prior written consent.
The Trust has the legal right to restrict access and issue trespass notices to anyone landing on the islands. However, they do not control public waters or navigation around the coastlines.
According to the trustees, the company has not responded or made contact since the trespass notice was served.
Anglers Lodge response
In a statement to Te Ao Māori News, Anglers Lodge said they were extremely saddened that what they believed to be a “misunderstanding” had escalated, noting they had made several attempts to resolve the matter.
As new business owners, they explained they simply continued a water taxi and rockhopper service that has operated in the area for close to 30 years. They stated they were unaware access to the Motukawao Islands was restricted, believing the islands were publicly accessible based on long-standing local use.
Anglers Lodge confirmed that the trespass notice will be respected, stating they have no desire to undermine the Trust’s work. They remain open to sitting down with the trustees to discuss the future of the islands and explore ways to support their protection.
Te Ao Māori News has passed on the contact details of the new owners to Kylie Turoa to facilitate a conversation and find a constructive way forward.
