Live Ocean is a New Zealand registered ocean

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manage ...

charity founded by Olympic gold and silver medalists Peter Burling and

Blair Tuke Andrew Blair Tuke (born 25 July 1989) is a New Zealand sailor who won the 2021 Americas Cup Held in Auckland and also won the 2017 Version held in Bermuda. He also won the gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and the silver medal at the 201 ...

. Live Ocean's mission is to amplify and accelerate ocean action in New Zealand. Live Ocean partners with people and projects on marine science and conservation initiatives. Live Ocean relies on donations, which directly support initiatives for ocean health and action in New Zealand.

Activities

Live Ocean's initial project focused on The Race To Save the Endangered

Antipodean Albatross The Antipodean albatross (''Diomedea antipodensis'') () is a large seabird in the albatross family. Antipodean albatrosses are smaller than snowy albatrosses, and breed in predominantly brown plumage, but are otherwise difficult to distinguish f ...

, which remains one of their flagship efforts. The charity also supports efforts to monitor and restore populations of the

New Zealand sea lion The New Zealand sea lion (''Phocarctos hookeri''), once known as Hooker's sea lion, and as (for both male and female) or (male) and (female) in Māori, is a species of sea lion that is endemic to New Zealand and primarily breeds on New Zeala ...

, one of the rarest sea lion species in the world, in partnership with local

marine biologists Marine biology is the scientific study of the biology of marine life, organisms that inhabit the sea. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology clas ...

Hauraki Gulf

In March 2021, Live Ocean released an online video series aimed at saving the

Hauraki Gulf The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has an area of 4000 km2,Auckland Region Auckland () is one of the 16 regions of New Zealand, which takes its name from the eponymous urban areas of New Zealand, urban area. The region encompasses the Auckland, Auckland metropolitan area, smaller towns, rural areas, and the islands o ...

of New Zealand. They have a goal of achieving 30 percent protection of the Hauraki Gulf by 2030, as advocated by international scientists. The charity endorsed new protection measures for the Hauraki Gulf announced by the New Zealand government on 22 June 2021. In April 2024, Aucklander Jono Ridler, supported by Live Ocean, completed a non-stop ultra-distance open water swim from Karaka Bay, Aotea Great Barrier Island, to Narrow Neck Beach, Auckland. This record-breaking 100 km swim highlighted the urgent need for action to protect the Hauraki Gulf.

Citizen Science and Digital Tools

In 2024, Live Ocean launched digital tools to enhance the Marine Metre Squared citizen science project. This initiative empowers communities to monitor local coastal biodiversity, encouraging stewardship and action. Live Ocean also introduced the "Citizens of the Sea" project, which enables sailors to contribute to marine conservation by collecting

environmental DNA Environmental DNA or eDNA is DNA that is collected from a variety of environmental samples such as soil, seawater, snow or air, rather than directly sampled from an individual organism. As various organisms interact with the environment, DNA ...

(eDNA) and other data to map biodiversity and monitor climate change impacts.

Live Ocean Racing

In addition to its conservation work, Live Ocean established Live Ocean Racing, an independent sailing team aligned with its ocean health mission. The team competes globally and uses the platform to advocate for ocean conservation. In 2024, Live Ocean Racing participated in the ETF26 Series, with New Zealander Liv Mackay as skipper, supported by Leonard Takahashi and Oscar Gunn. The team competed in events across Spain, France, and Italy.

Funding and Support

Live Ocean relies on public donations to fund its projects. Donations are directed towards marine conservation efforts, ensuring that 100 percent of funds go to support ocean action in New Zealand.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official website
Marine conservation organizations Environmental organisations based in New Zealand Nature conservation organisations based in New Zealand