Waikato Regional Council has opened the tender round for 240 hectares of the Coromandel Marine Farming Zone.
Interest in fish farming has prompted the council to begin the process of releasing space in the 300 hectare zone. The area was created in 2011 for fish farming but demand waned due to the global financial crisis.
Twenty percent of the zone will be allocated to the Takutai Trustee (managed by Te Ohu Kaimoana) under the terms of the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act. The release of the remaining 80 percent of the zone will occur through a weighted-attribute tender process.
Criteria for selection focus on socio-economic benefits and environmental standards. The successful bidder or bidders must obtain resource consent before commencing fish farming.
