Currently the government is looking at creating several marine reserves around our Sub-antarctic islands and along the west coast of the South Island.
Please have a look at these pages for more information -
Sub-Antarctic Islands - submissions due 31st of July
http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/what-we-do/campaigns/we-love-marine-reserves/subantarctic-islands
West coast of the South Island - submissions due 21st August
http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/what-we-do/campaigns/we-love-marine-reserves/marine-protection-west-coast-the-south-island
How these Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) work on the West Coast & The Sub Antarctic islands is widely seen as defining the process and outcomes for coastal areas in the rest of New Zealand. So it is extremely important to get it right.
So pick up your pens folks, and get writing!