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A six hectare oyster relay site is being established at Pahi to address ongoing contamination issues in the Mahurangi River.
The site will be a designated, clean marine area where oysters can be temporarily relocated from contaminated waters to naturally cleanse themselves before being harvested for commercial sale. The government will spend $2.8 million on the site, which will include a three hectare commercial pilot oyster farm with supporting oyster farming infrastructure, vessels, moorings and marine assets.
The project is being delivered through a partnership involving Te Uri o Hau Settlement Trust and the Mahurangi Oyster Farmers Collective. Mahurangi oyster farms produce about a quarter of New Zealand’s oysters, but recurring closures due to water quality issues have severely disrupted harvests.
The Regional Infrastructure Fund funding for the Pahi project will become repayable if the endeavour generates sufficient revenue.
