The Kermadec region is significant to New Zealand and the world, providing an important safe haven for threatened species and an underwater frontier that scientists are only now beginning to explore. Pew and its partners are calling for a large scale, fully protected marine reserve around the Kermadecs. If the entire region were to be protected, at 620,000 square kilometers it would be one of the largest marine reserves in the world.
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The Kermadec region supports a unique mix of temperate, subtropical and tropical marine fish species. Many of these are at the northern or southern limits of their ranges, and many use the area as a migratory corridor between tropical waters and mainland New Zealand. The Kermadec Islands also act as stepping stones in dispersing the larvae of tropical and subtropical fishes southwards to northern... Read More
The Kermedec region includes outstanding examples of major stages in the geological evolution of the Earth. In geological terms, its value includes an entire cross section of the collision of two tectonic regions (the Pacific Plate and the Australian Plate), a large portion of the deepest sea-floor region in the southern hemisphere, and a major chunk of the longest submarine volcanic arc on the... Read More
The Kermedecs – at the meeting point between the tropical waters of the Pacific and New Zealand’s temperate seas – is a unique environment that hosts a unique mix of species. The region’s decapod (crustacean) population is no exception. Altogether, 88 species of crustacean are known here, including tropical and temperate species of crayfish, crabs, prawns and shrimps. At... Read More
Where We Work
Global Ocean Legacy works with local communities, governments and scientists around the world to protect and conserve some of our most important and unspoiled ocean environments.
From Easter Island to New Zealand: Ocean Conservation across Polynesia
Thousands of miles of ocean separate the islands that shape the Polynesian Triangle — anchored by New Zealand (Aotearoa) in the west, Easter Island (Rapa Nui) to the southeast, and Hawaii to the north.
Map of the Kermadec Region
The Kermadec region – between New Zealand’s North Island and Tonga – is one of the last relatively untouched wilderness areas on the planet.