Five new marine reserves are being created off the South Island's West Coast.
They are Kahurangi, Punakaiki, Okarito, Gorge and Ship Creek near Haast.
The new reserves cover 17,528 hectares of ocean, with Kahurangi and Okarito the largest on the mainland coast.
The Green Party says the Government has fallen short of its goal of protecting 10% of the marine environment, with the new reserves making little difference and accounting for less than 1% in total.
But Conservation Minister, Kate Wilkinson, says the Greens are wrong and are referring to the area outside the 12 mile limit.
She says the Government is actually exceeding the 10% goal, with this announcement taking marine environment protection to almost 12%.
