Along with kelp forests, seagrass beds are considered one of the most productive habitats on Earth. In New Zealand, one species of seagrass (Zostera muelleri) is found primarily intertidally in estuaries. Subtidal seagrass has reduced substantially from its historic extent, with remnant subtidal meadows in west coast estuaries north of Auckland (e.g., Kaipara, Rangaanu) and at Slipper Island off the Coromandel Peninsula (Matheson et al. 2011). Like mangroves they also form a key biogenic habitat for a variety of marine species and provide structure and food as well as services to recycle nutrients and combat sea level rise through slowing water flow to trap, stabilize and bind marine sediments and pollutants. Seagrass can occur in small patches or large, dense meadows, where they can provide an important nursery habitat for many commercially, culturally and recreationally important species, particularly in northern, subtidal seagrass beds. Seagrass habitats are at risk due to coastal development and bottom contact such as dredging as well as declining water quality, sedimentation, and storm damage though there is evidence of recovery in some areas such as Whangarei Harbour and in many locations, seagrass meadows have expanded rapidly since 2000 (e.g., Meola Reef, Auckland region; Lundquist et al. 2018). This map shows over 6,200 sites where seagrass beds have been identified based on information from the most recent file on the Department of Conservation’s (DOC) SeaSketch project collated in collaboration with regional councils, which contains data updated in 2018 and is considered the most comprehensive dataset for New Zealand. An additional data set from Otago (Salt Ecology) is also included which provides additional seagrass location data for that region.

Along with kelp forests, seagrass beds are considered one of the most productive habitats on Earth. In New Zealand, one species of seagrass (Zostera muelleri) is found primarily intertidally in estuaries. Subtidal seagrass has reduced substantially from its historic extent, with remnant subtidal meadows in west coast estuaries north of Auckland (e.g., Kaipara, Rangaanu) and at Slipper Island off the Coromandel Peninsula (Matheson et al. 2011). Like mangroves they also form a key biogenic habitat for a variety of marine species and provide structure and food as well as services to recycle nutrients and combat sea level rise through slowing water flow to trap, stabilize and bind marine sediments and pollutants. Seagrass can occur in small patches or large, dense meadows, where they can provide an important nursery habitat for many commercially, culturally and recreationally important species, particularly in northern, subtidal seagrass beds. Seagrass habitats are at risk due to coastal development and bottom contact such as dredging as well as declining water quality, sedimentation, and storm damage though there is evidence of recovery in some areas such as Whangarei Harbour and in many locations, seagrass meadows have expanded rapidly since 2000 (e.g., Meola Reef, Auckland region; Lundquist et al. 2018). This map shows over 6,200 sites where seagrass beds have been identified based on information from the most recent file on the Department of Conservation’s (DOC) SeaSketch project collated in collaboration with regional councils, which contains data updated in 2018 and is considered the most comprehensive dataset for New Zealand. An additional data set from Otago (Salt Ecology) is also included which provides additional seagrass location data for that region.