The Kermadec Islands are the tops of huge volcanoes that rise through deep waters on the edge of the tropics.

Their shallow inshore reef communities are characterised by a mix of endemic, tropical, subtropical and temperate species.

These areas are protected by New Zealand’s largest marine reserve - which covers all of the Territorial Seas around the Kermadec Islands.

The remainder of Fisheries Management Area 10 is protected by a Benthic Protection Area that prohibits all dredging and bottom trawling. This area covers about 16 percent of New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone and contains many seamounts and hydrothermal vents.

The whole area is washed by waters of the subtropical Tasman Front.