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About the Controlled Area Notice

A Controlled Area Notice is in place that legally restricts the movements of some shellfish species (flat oysters, Pacific oysters, green lipped mussels, and geoducks), including their spat, or craft or equipment (including marine farm craft and marine farm equipment) out of the following zones:

  • the Upper South Contained Zone (Nelson and Marlborough)
  • the Big Glory Bay Contained Zone (Rakiura Stewart Island).

Or into the following zones:

  • the Lower South Island Protected Zone
  • the Chatham Islands Protected Zone.

Also note that:

  • this notice restricts the movement of some shellfish species, and craft and marine farm craft, into and out of the Big Glory Bay Contained Zone – Rakiura Stewart Island
  • the movement of flat oysters and marine farm equipment used to harvest or rear flat oysters within 1 nautical mile of the coast of Stewart Island must not be moved within the Lower South Protected Zone for the purposes of aquaculture farming without a permit. 

The measures were introduced to help contain Bonamia ostreae – a parasite first detected in samples of flat oysters in the upper South Island in January 2015 and on Stewart Island in May 2017.

Bonamia ostreae Controlled Area Notice effective from 1 Nov 2023 [PDF, 1.3 MB]

More information about Bonamia ostreae programme

You may need a permit

If you're moving restricted shellfish stock, or craft or equipment (including marine farm craft and marine farm equipment) into or out of zones covered by the Controlled Area Notice, you may need a permit.

Apply for a permit

You can apply for a permit online using the form on this page. You should receive a response within 2 working days. Permits may take up to 10 working days to issue. You will be notified within this time period of any issue that may delay your application. Take this timeframe into consideration when applying for your permits. 

If you don't apply online, you can download an application form and email it to BonamiaControl@mpi.govt.nz

Application for movement permit [DOC, 164 KB]

Online permit application

Movement Details
Detail of Shellfish stock
2. What species are you transferring?
6. Have you observed significant mortality or abnormally high numbers of unhealthy shellfish?
8. For live shellfish transfers, is a freshwater pressure wash available for any in-contact harvest and/or transport equipment used in the transfer of these shellfish?
Detail of marine farm equipment/craft

10. For movements of marine farm equipment and craft into or out of the Stewart Island Zone provide details of the actions you will take to reduce the biosecurity risk. For craft movement provides details of hull maintenance and ballast management with supporting evidence. Note craft should have a clean hull and no macrofouling prior to movement into or out of Stewart Island. 

Locations of transfer
Origin
11. Where are you transferring from?
Destination
15. Where are you transferring to?
Transport details and date of transfer
22. Has the stock or marine farm equipment/craft been inside the Contained Zone (Nelson, Marlborough) at any stage?
24. Will the receiving site be the final destination?
25. Is this a repeated transfer?
Applicant contact details
30. How would you prefer to be contacted?
Declaration

MPI business units