Auckland iwi Ngāti Pāoa place rāhui around Waiheke to protect declining kaimoana

Friday, 29 January 2021

The Waiheke Island rāhui begins on Sunday.

A two-year rāhui will be placed on the Waiheke Island foreshore to stop four species of kaimoana from disappearing.

The two boards of Ngāti Pāoa, the iwi for the Hauraki region, have agreed to place the rāhui from Sunday for two years, to allow taonga species to restore and replenish.

Crayfish populations have been substantially reduced in the Hauraki Gulf. (File photo)

Population of shellfish species such as tipa (scallops), kūtai (mussels), kōura (crayfish) and pāua (abalone) have been declining for decades. The rāhui will prohibit the gathering of those four species.

Ngāti Pāoa’s Rerearoha Skipper said if nothing is done to protect the area, these populations will reach the point of collapse.

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Although they may be few in numbers, the kaitiaki of Kia Piritahi Marae on Waiheke Island are continuing to uphold tikanga Māori within the community, while also educating the many visitors from Ngā Hau ē Whā (The Four Winds).

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“It's in a sad, sad state, and we needed to do this,” Skipper said.

The rāhui will be carried out by the iwi’s tohunga and kaumātua.

It will be in place from the foreshore to one nautical mile offshore.

Skipper said the iwi’s different entities have come together in agreement for the rāhui.

“There was a time when I was growing up that my parents and my people could walk out and get those four species straight off the beach, but one generation later, and they're all nearly gone,” Skipper said.

She said action should have been taken long ago but it took “a bit of organising to put this forward” with the iwi, community and other parties.

“What we need to start thinking about is where we will go to from here, it’s not just about putting down a rāhui but putting a plan in place for the future generation.

“We need to ensure we restore the kaimoana back into the moana. Once we lift the rāhui, we have to ensure that it does not all come undone.”

The iwi boards sought an application with the Ministry for Primary Industries for temporary closure and enforcement, under the Fisheries Act.

An MPI spokeswoman said the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries can provide statutory support to impose a temporary closure over an area where a rāhui is in place.

“Anyone can request a temporary closure but it must have the support of tangata whenua in order for the minister to approve,” she said.

The Ngāti Paoa boards’ application will go through a process which will include a public consultation before a decision is made.

“While MPI’s fishery officers are not able to enforce a rāhui, they will enforce a temporary closure once it has been approved.

“We urge people to contact us if they see any suspicious fishing activity on the 0800 4 POACHER hot line.”