Jono Ridler and Live Ocean co-founder Blair Tuke will meet with cross-party MPs tomorrow, carrying 73,647 signatures and a clear message: end bottom trawling, starting with seamounts.
Meetings are scheduled with a number of parliamentarians, including Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Oceans and Fisheries. MP for Northland Grant McCallum will formally present the petition to the House on 29 April, after which it will be automatically referred to a Select Committee for consideration before reporting back to Parliament.
The petition closes the public phase of a campaign that grew out of Ridler’s 1,367km Swim4TheOcean, an unassisted staged swim from Waikuku Beach at North Cape down the entire east coast of the North Island to Wellington. Ridler completed the journey on 4 April 2026, swimming over 90 days and finishing to a crowd of thousands at Te Whanganui-a-Tara. The public petition closed at midday today, with the final figure representing a fully audited count.
Ridler says the focus now is on ensuring those voices reach the people with the power to act. “We’ve heard from people right along the coast, people who rely on the ocean, who’ve seen the change in their lifetime, and who want to see it protected. This is about taking those voices to Parliament and asking decision-makers to act.”
Tuke framed the petition as a practical next step. “We’re asking for a clear step forward, to end bottom trawling on seamounts and begin the transition away from it entirely. This is an outdated practice that damages ocean ecosystems, and we can do better. As a nation of innovators, this is a change New Zealand is capable of making.”
The full petition wording is available at liveocean.org.
