Five new marine reserves were launched along the Otago and South Canterbury coastline in a historic partnership between Ngāi Tahu and the Department of Conservation (DOC). The reserves, known together as Te Au Roa o Te Rakihouia, covered more than 300 square kilometres of coastal ocean between the Waitaki River and Milton. A special ceremony was held at Ōtākou Marae in Dunedin to mark the occasion, attended by iwi members, DOC staff, and Conservation Minister Tama Potaka.