Sign In / Register
An application for a temporary ban on shellfish harvesting from Mangawhai to Takapuna is being made by Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust (NMST) in the latest bid to halt gangs of people stripping local rock pools of all marine life.
Fisheries NZ is also carrying out a review of shellfish harvesting and limits throughout the Hauraki Gulf, and a detailed case study on intertidal and rock pool depletion is being commissioned by the Hauraki Gulf Forum.
The initiatives were prompted by Army Bay resident Mark Lenton, who made a presentation to the forum in May about the damage caused by gangs of people using chisels, piano wire and large buckets to remove any and all shellfish species, regardless of size, from tiny snails to starfish and cray.
His efforts follow an extensive campaign led by Omaha resident Mary Coupe in 2020 to halt the same practice on local shorelines, including a 3000-signature petition and her own application for a temporary ban under the Fisheries Act.
Coupe said last week she was asked by NMST at the time to withdraw that application, as the trust wanted to pursue the matter with the ministry itself.
“Now it’s three or four years later, and it can take six to 12 months to get an application through,” she said. “I hope it’s not too little, too late.”
Lenton said he was pleased that something was at last being done by the trust and Fisheries NZ.
“We just have to hold them to account, I think,” he said. “The issue has got so much media and public exposure now that I think dropping the ball is no longer an option.”
Both Coupe and Lenton would also like to see more basic education for people migrating to New Zealand on what is acceptable gathering behaviour, as well as reduced harvest limits.
NMST chief executive Nicola McDonald, who also co-chairs the gulf forum, said the trust was aiming to have its ban application, known as an s186a, lodged by the end of this month.
“Although the exact timeline will be determined by the minister, we have been proactive in briefing relevant local MPs and government officials, which we hope will help speed up the process,” she said.
“We have looked at the previous applications and used them as a basis, however for this application, the aim is to ensure that the scientific/technical aspects are watertight (excuse the pun), which is what is taking time.
“Basically, the goal is to ensure that the science and evidence we present alongside the application mean that there are no grounds on which it can be denied.”
