Description: Hydrothermal vents typically form along tectonic plate boundaries, particularly around seafloor spreading ridges and form one of the most rare and extreme habitats on Earth. Seawater is superheated under pressure where minerals dissolve as it rises and then cools rapidly as it contacts the surrounding cold water solidifying into deposits which may build tall towers or chimneys. Vents vary in their chemical composition, depth, and associated ecosystems. Hydrogen sulphide fuels chemosynthetic bacteria which provide the base of the food web for a variety of associated species such as tube worms, bivalves, crabs, and fish. Vent communities are at risk from bottom fishing and mining activities. This map includes 25 vents with the most recent data from 2015 accessed from the Inter Ridge database with locations of seamounts from (Kitchingman and Lai, 2004) and hydrothermal vents (Ramirez-Llodra and Baker, 2006) and developed from global GIS based analysis.<div><br /></div><div>Locations of vents indicate only known locations, which may change over time. Many more may be discovered through further exploration.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Kitchingman, A. and S. Lai. 2004. Inferences on potential seamount locations from mid-resolution bathymetric data. In: Morato T, Pauly D (eds) Seamounts: Biodiversity and Fisheries. Fisheries Centre, University of British Colombia, Vancouver, Canada, pp 7-12; </div><div>Ramirez-Llodra, E. and M.C. Baker. 2006. Data on the location of hydrothermal vents. Biogeography of Chemosynthetic Ecosystems (ChEss) Project (www.noc.soton.ac.uk/chess). <br /><br /></div></div><div>https://databasin.org/datasets/1c6af28887364008969f94c7e9df796e</div>
Copyright Text: National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd. (NIWA)
Description: Aotearoa New Zealand is considered the seabird capital of the world with a diverse assemblage of seabird species nesting and foraging along our coasts and offshore including many endemic species. These can be divided into 5 major groups including Albatross, shearwater, penguins, petrels, and shags, as well as a variety of shore birds. For many species, New Zealand is their only breeding ground, while for others it is an essential stop during long migrations. Major threats for seabirds and shorebirds onshore include habitat destruction and degradation due to land development, erosion, and pollution, predation by pets and pest animals as well as other predatory birds, and trampling or disturbance of nesting areas. Offshore, seabirds face direct fishing mortality, declining food sources and pollution, particularly plastics which can fill their guts and those of their chicks when consumed. This map contains locations that have been identified as important areas for foraging and breeding of seabirds and shorebirds by regional councils (accessed in 2020) and other sources including Forest & Bird/BirdLife International and the Handbook of the Birds of the World 2019. Important Bird Area (IBA) polygons are included with data on species present to provide information on how many and which species are breeding at each colony.<div><br /></div><div>Colony locations are subject to change and the most recent information for these areas should be confirmed in each region. Offshore sightings are subject to misidentification though data collectors are responsible for confirming data quality. These data have been pooled from many sources, therefore their integration is not straightforward and are limited to presence only data, though these observations are likely relatively complete due to strong public interest.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lundquist, C., Stephenson, F., McCartain, L., Watson, S., Brough, T., Nelson, W., Neill, K., Anderson, T., Anderson, O., Bulmer, R., Gee, E., Pinkerton, M., Rowden, A., Thompson, D. (2020) Evaluating Key Ecological Areas datasets for the New Zealand Marine Environment. Report prepared by NIWA for DOC.</div><div><br /></div><div>https://datazone.birdlife.org/home</div>
Copyright Text: BirdLife International and Handbook of the Birds of the World 2019, Forest & Bird Aotearoa/New Zealand
Description: This map includes haul out sites for 4 seals and sea lions: the southern elephant seal, New Zealand fur seal, New Zealand sea lion, and the leopard seal with information provided by 10 regional councils. All marine mammals including pinnipeds are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1978, which requires people to stay at least 20 m from them and avoid disturbing or harming them. Pinnipeds experienced dramatic population declines coinciding with peak whaling activities in the early 1900s. Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonine) and leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx) only occasionally haul out on the mainland of New Zealand. The New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri) is the most commonly encountered pinniped in New Zealand with well established haulout sites and colonies. The New Zealand, or Hooker’s sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri), is endemic to New Zealand with a small and declining population with main colonies on subantarctic islands and relatively new colonies in Stewart Island, Otago and Southland regions. Harm by humans and dogs while onshore in addition to direct fishing mortality, declining food sources and pollution are major threats to pinniped populations. These locations are identified from regional council 2018 colonies and 2018 haulout sites.<div><br /></div><div>Haul out and colony locations are subject to change and the most recent information for these areas should be confirmed in each region. These observations are likely relatively complete due to strong public interest.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lundquist, C., Stephenson, F., McCartain, L., Watson, S., Brough, T., Nelson, W., Neill, K., Anderson, T., Anderson, O., Bulmer, R., Gee, E., Pinkerton, M., Rowden, A., Thompson, D. (2020) Evaluating Key Ecological Areas datasets for the New Zealand Marine Environment. Report prepared by NIWA for DOC.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
Copyright Text: National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd. (NIWA), Ministry of Primary Industries - Fisheries New Zealand (MPI-FNZ)
Description: Aotearoa New Zealand is considered the seabird capital of the world with a diverse assemblage of seabird species nesting and foraging along our coasts and offshore including many endemic species. These can be divided into 5 major groups including Albatross, shearwater, penguins, petrels, and shags, as well as a variety of shore birds. For many species, New Zealand is their only breeding ground, while for others it is an essential stop during long migrations. Major threats for seabirds and shorebirds onshore include habitat destruction and degradation due to land development, erosion, and pollution, predation by pets and pest animals as well as other predatory birds, and trampling or disturbance of nesting areas. Offshore, seabirds face direct fishing mortality, declining food sources and pollution, particularly plastics which can fill their guts and those of their chicks when consumed. This map contains locations that have been identified as important areas for foraging and breeding of seabirds and shorebirds by regional councils (accessed in 2020) and other sources including Forest & Bird/BirdLife International and the Handbook of the Birds of the World 2019. Important Bird Area (IBA) polygons are included with data on species present to provide information on how many and which species are breeding at each colony.<div><br /></div><div>Colony locations are subject to change and the most recent information for these areas should be confirmed in each region. Offshore sightings are subject to misidentification though data collectors are responsible for confirming data quality. These data have been pooled from many sources, therefore their integration is not straightforward and are limited to presence only data, though these observations are likely relatively complete due to strong public interest.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lundquist, C., Stephenson, F., McCartain, L., Watson, S., Brough, T., Nelson, W., Neill, K., Anderson, T., Anderson, O., Bulmer, R., Gee, E., Pinkerton, M., Rowden, A., Thompson, D. (2020) Evaluating Key Ecological Areas datasets for the New Zealand Marine Environment. Report prepared by NIWA for DOC.</div>
Copyright Text: NIWA, Auckland Regional council, Waikato Regional council, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Gisborne Regional Council, Hawke's Bay Regional Council, Taranaki Regional Council, Manawatu Wanganui Regional Council, Wellington Regional Council, Tasman Regional Council, Nelson Regional Council, West Coast Regional Council, Canterbury Regional Council, Otago Regional Council, Environment Southland
Description: Cold seeps are formed in a similar way to hydrothermal vents, but with a slower and cooler leaking of mineral-laden sea water. They also may form rich deep sea habitats fuelled by methane via chemosynthetic bacteria living independently or symbiotically with a variety of invertebrate species such as tube worms. New Zealand’s cold seep ecosystems were first explored and sampled in 2006 with the discovery of one of the largest seep sites in the world containing a variety of sponges, corals, bivalves and tube worms, with some species new to science. All sites surveyed also showed evidence of damage and lost gear from fishing activities. Species found at cold seeps tend to be slower growing than similar species found at hydrothermal vents and seep communities are also at risk from bottom fishing and mining activities. This map includes 44 cold seep locations around New Zealand with information updated from surveys in 2006 and 2007 accessed from the Inter Ridge database.<div><br /></div><div>Locations indicate only known locations and more may be discovered with further exploration.</div><div><br /></div><div>Greinert J, Lewis KB, Bialas J et al (2010) Methane seepage along the Hikurangi Margin, New Zealand: overview of studies in 2006 and 2007 and new evidence from visual, bathymetric and hydroacoustic investigations. Mar Geol 272(1–4):6–25</div><div><br /></div><div>https://databasin.org/datasets/1c6af28887364008969f94c7e9df796e</div>
Copyright Text: National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd. (NIWA)
Description: Eight species of marine mammals are considered threatened, vulnerable or at risk-recovering. According to the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS), nationally critical seals and sea lion include the southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonine), while New Zealand sea lions (Phocarctos hookeri) are nationally vulnerable. Distributions of these species are shown based on datasets from several databases including at-sea sightings from 1970-2017 with additional population surveys for Hector’s and Māui dolphins, NABIS Fisheries Mapping Tool breeding colony datasets as well as communications with DOC experts and regional councils. Values shown for cetaceans are probability of occurrence for each species.<div><br /></div><div>The distribution of Southern elephant seal is a scientific interpretation based on the best available information from published and unpublished sources. Haul out and breeding locations are subject to change and the most recent information for these areas should be confirmed in each region. These observations are likely relatively complete due to strong public interest.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lundquist, C., Stephenson, F., McCartain, L., Watson, S., Brough, T., Nelson, W., Neill, K., Anderson, T., Anderson, O., Bulmer, R., Gee, E., Pinkerton, M., Rowden, A., Thompson, D. (2020) Evaluating Key Ecological Areas datasets for the New Zealand Marine Environment. Report prepared by NIWA for DOC.</div><div><br /></div><div>https://mpi.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=9d9dc5243834425c9ad2aa249b06e1f7</div>
Copyright Text: National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd. (NIWA), Ministry of Primary Industries - Fisheries New Zealand (MPI-FNZ)
Description: Seamounts are large cone shaped underwater topographical features (UTFs), formed through volcanic activity that rise hundreds to thousands of metres from the seafloor. These features can host extremely productive and diverse assemblages of species, relative to surrounding areas, including several types of biogenic habitats. UTFs also alter water flow and can create highly productive areas through the upwelling of deep water. Seamounts provide hard substrates for organisms such as corals and sponges to grow, though some types of rock are less suitable for attachment. Our understanding of the species and ecosystems of seamounts is patchy with many collected species still unidentified and some new to science. At the same time, they have been heavily targeted by fisheries with trawl gear damaging fragile benthic ecosystems in fished areas, with evidence of little or no recovery after a decade of fishing bans. This map is based on the most recent information after the 2022 update to the SEAMOUNT database, which added improved bathymetric information and key environmental characteristics and identified 2000 UTFs within New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and Territorial Sea. These include features defined as seamounts (≥ 1000 m elevation), knolls (250–999 m), and hills (100–249 m), though other classifications group these all together under the term ‘seamounts’.<div><br /></div><div>Further bathymetric data improvements and exploration may provide additional and updated information.</div><div><br /></div><div>Clark, M.R.; Wood, B.; Mackay, K.; Anderson, O.F.; Hart, A.; Rickard, G.; Rowden, A.A. (2022). Underwater Topographic Features in the New Zealand region: development of an updated ‘SEAMOUNT’ database and information on the extent and intensity of deep-sea trawl fisheries on them. New Zealand Aquatic Environment and Biodiversity Report No. 291. 28 p.</div><div><br /></div><div>https://data-mpi.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/MPI::new-zealand-seamounts-polygons/about</div>
Copyright Text: National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd. (NIWA)
Description: While 9 species have been identified in New Zealand’s waters, this map includes haul out sites, colonies and breeding sites for 3 seals and sea lions: the southern elephant seal, New Zealand fur seal, and the New Zealand sea lion. All marine mammals including pinnipeds are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1978, which requires people to stay at least 20 m from them and avoid disturbing or harming them. Pinnipeds experienced dramatic population declines coinciding with peak whaling activities in the early 1900s. Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonine), the largest and deepest diving pinniped, are an Antarctic species which are found on subantarctic islands, where populations have been declining, and occasionally haul out on the mainland of New Zealand, though they are not currently thought to breed here. The New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri) is the most commonly encountered pinniped in New Zealand breeding at several locations on the mainland and subantarctic islands from mid-November to mid-January. The New Zealand, or Hooker’s sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri), is endemic to New Zealand with a small and declining population with main breeding colonies on Auckland and Campbell subantarctic islands as well as relatively new colonies in Stewart Island, Otago and Southland regions. Breeding occurs during the summer with pupping in early December through mid-January. Pups are dependent on their mother’s milk for a year and are often left alone on beaches while she feeds at sea. Foraging areas of pinnipeds can be large and are not well described around New Zealand’s waters. Harm by humans and dogs while onshore in addition to direct fishing mortality, declining food sources and pollution are major threats to pinniped populations. The locations included on this map are based on NABIS Fisheries Mapping Tool breeding colony datasets as well as communications with DOC experts.<div><br /></div><div>Haul out and breeding locations are subject to change and the most recent information for these areas should be confirmed in each region. These observations are likely relatively complete due to strong public interest.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lundquist, C., Stephenson, F., McCartain, L., Watson, S., Brough, T., Nelson, W., Neill, K., Anderson, T., Anderson, O., Bulmer, R., Gee, E., Pinkerton, M., Rowden, A., Thompson, D. (2020) Evaluating Key Ecological Areas datasets for the New Zealand Marine Environment. Report prepared by NIWA for DOC.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Southern elephant seal breeding colonies: https://mpi.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=9d9dc5243834425c9ad2aa249b06e1f7</div><div>Last updated: 16 Feb 2021</div><div>New Zealand (Hooker's) Sealion - Breeding Colonies Distribution: https://mpi.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=3c2d8f9b44ad42f7883371394750de4a</div><div>Last updated: 28 Feb 2022</div><div>New Zealand fur seal: https://mpi.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=ddd6adcc2d144a588e8f33a82ee1cfaf</div><div>Last updated: 16 Feb 2021</div></div>
Copyright Text: National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd. (NIWA), Ministry of Primary Industries - Fisheries New Zealand (MPI-FNZ)
Description: Aotearoa New Zealand is considered the seabird capital of the world with a diverse assemblage of seabird species nesting and foraging along our coasts and offshore including many endemic species. These can be divided into 5 major groups including Albatross, shearwater, penguins, petrels, and shags, as well as a variety of shore birds. For many species, New Zealand is their only breeding ground, while for others it is an essential stop during long migrations. Major threats for seabirds and shorebirds onshore include habitat destruction and degradation due to land development, erosion, and pollution, predation by pets and pest animals as well as other predatory birds, and trampling or disturbance of nesting areas. Offshore, seabirds face direct fishing mortality, declining food sources and pollution, particularly plastics which can fill their guts and those of their chicks when consumed. This map contains locations that have been identified as important areas for foraging and breeding of seabirds and shorebirds by regional councils (accessed in 2020) and other sources including Forest & Bird/BirdLife International and the Handbook of the Birds of the World 2019. Important Bird Area (IBA) polygons are included with data on species present to provide information on how many and which species are breeding at each colony.<div><br /></div><div>Colony locations are subject to change and the most recent information for these areas should be confirmed in each region. Offshore sightings are subject to misidentification though data collectors are responsible for confirming data quality. These data have been pooled from many sources, therefore their integration is not straightforward and are limited to presence only data, though these observations are likely relatively complete due to strong public interest.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lundquist, C., Stephenson, F., McCartain, L., Watson, S., Brough, T., Nelson, W., Neill, K., Anderson, T., Anderson, O., Bulmer, R., Gee, E., Pinkerton, M., Rowden, A., Thompson, D. (2020) Evaluating Key Ecological Areas datasets for the New Zealand Marine Environment. Report prepared by NIWA for DOC.</div><div>https://datazone.birdlife.org/home</div>
Copyright Text: BirdLife International and Handbook of the Birds of the World 2019, Forest and Bird Aotearoa/New Zealand, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd. (NIWA)