Cabinet has halted work on plans to make the Kermadec Ocean area, a sanctuary

The move comes almost 10 years since then Prime Minister John Key announced plans to make the area one of the world's largest marine protected areas.

The legislation to make the 620-thousand square kilometre area an economic no-go zone, has been languishing on Parliament's order paper for years.

Today, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones officially killed the plan -- saying that making 15 per cent of New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone unavailable to Kiwis making their living from the sea, makes absolutely no sense.