Pare Hauraki Kaimoana, which represents the fishing interests of the Hauraki Māori Trust Board, is planning a 300-hectare marine farm in the Hauraki Gulf.
While a first of its kind, the new fish farm will run alongside decades-long investment in mussel farming within the rohe.
The proposed fish farm will be located 13 kilometres from Coromandel Town and 11km from Waiheke Island and is expected to support annual production of 8,000 tonnes of kingfish and other marine species.
Submissions on any potential environmental impacts and views of the community are now being considered by the Waikato Regional Council.
Hauraki Iwi Collective chair and professional advisor Paul Majurey (Hauraki) says the trust board is conscious of environmental considerations for its ancestral waters.
“Our world views involve a centuries-old relationship with Tīkapa Moana … we're very mindful of that, it's a pātaka (pantry) for us, it's also a taonga.”
The trust board says the farm will eventually produce more than 100 jobs and could net $100m in annual revenue.