Residents of The Hauraki Gulf are seeking a greater role in deciding how the area can protected for generations to come.

The latest three-yearly State of the Gulf report has found a raft of serious issues with toxic contamination, dairy run-off and over-fishing.

Waiheke Island Community Planning Group secretary Christopher Wragge says the people of the Gulf need to play a central role in any attempt to protect it.

“We want Auckland Council to have a more local and what we refer to as a ‘bottom up’ perspective into how we manage things.” 

Mr Wragge says Auckland Council Unitary Plan should include better administration of the Gulf. 

He says the current way of doing things doesn’t work. 

“We all want to go fishing, we all want a healthy Gulf, we all want to care for it, but when it comes to the reality, we’re all going around in circles a bit.”

– Newstalk ZB