An Auckland man has been hit with an $800 fine for illegally landing his boat on a pest-free conservation island in Northland.
The man breached the Reserves Act by going for a walk on the island, despite clear signage stating it is not open to the public.
The Department of Conservation (DoC) investigated the incident from earlier this year, which saw the man row a dinghy to Whatupuke, one of the Marotere/Hen and Chicken Islands off Northland, with the intention of going for a walk.
The pest-free islands are closed to the public and anyone intending to visit must have permission from DoC and follow strict biosecurity protocols.
DoC said the boatie was sheltering from a passing weather front in the island group when he spotted a group of people on Whatupuke.
"The group of people was in fact DoC's Weed Team, who periodically visit the island to control pest plant species," DOC's investigations team lead Dylan Swain said.
"This person came ashore expecting he could go for a recreational walk, when in fact there are DoC signs on the island clearly stating it's not open for the public."
While the man agreed to leave after the weed team approached him, DoC said they opted to fine him anyway because he ignored freely available information advising people they could not visit.
"Aside from the signs on the island which clearly state landing is prohibited on Matupuke, there's easily accessible information about these islands through the internet and specialist boating and fishing apps and websites," Swain said.
"Naivety isn't an excuse to break the rules. It's very clear these islands are off-limits to the public, and this gentleman has disregarded that."
DoC took several months to track down the boatie, who initially disputed the infringement fine but has now agreed to pay it off.
They said the case serves as a reminder to New Zealanders that landing on nature reserve islands is prohibited.
"Years of hard conservation work have gone into protecting these islands and the species living there," Swain said.
"Illegal landings risk that work – whether it be a stray pest or seeds coming ashore with an unauthorised visitor."
DoC's Infringement System was introduced in September 2020.
Infringement notices are handed down over breaches of the rules that are not serious enough for prosecution, with fines ranging from $200 to $800, depending on the offence.
