The cramped Cessna 206 shudders over a shifting grey ocean, and swoops low over the island before dropping down on to the uneven airstrip. In the field stand some rusting and battered trucks - the island’s park and ride - waiting for their owners to return from the mainland. Just wondering if anyone has been out there recently and could update me on what the fishing or diving vis has been like? Myself and a few mates are heading out to Motiti island on thursday/friday for a bit of a fish and dive mission. A Bay of Plenty MP critical of an Environment Court decision on Motiti Island's newly protected marine areas says the public was shut out of having a voice and he is now considering potential changes Motiti Island’s fisheries are at risk as local councils now have the power to apply fishing bans wherever they see fit, says National’s Fisheries spokesperson Ian McKelvie. The gateway to Motiti Island is a long, flat paddock. We understand that in addition to the no take zone on the 3 major fishing reefs, it is possible that further constraints on fishing around Motiti Island are possible. With respect to the Motiti Island saga when NZSFC and LegaSea were first approached by MRMT with their very basic ideas of what they wanted to achieve around Motiti Island, which included no effect on recreational fishing. As part of the legal process the court concluded that the 3 major fishing reefs around Motiti Island met a threshold for the Regional Council to apply a no take zone. Motiti Island’s fisheries are at risk as local councils now have the power to apply fishing bans wherever they see fit, says National’s Fisheries spokesperson Ian McKelvie.