Following consultation, the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries has decided to temporarily close a part of the mussel (kuku) beds in Ōhiwa Harbour between 13 November 2024 and 12 November 2026, inclusive. The closure is called Te rāhui kuku ki tua o Kanawa.
Ōhiwa Harbour mussel/kuku closure [PDF, 958 KB]
Fisheries (Te rāhui kuku ki tua o Kanawa Temporary Closure) Notice 2024 (Notice No. MPI 1876) [PDF, 36 KB]
Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa requested a 2-year closure over an area within Ōhiwa Harbour to the harvest of mussels, under section 186A of the Fisheries Act 1996.
The request followed a mussel rejuvenation research project. Closing the proposed area was to allow the mussel population the opportunity to recover free from harvesting.
Fisheries New Zealand invited written submissions from anyone who had an interest in the species concerned, or in the effects of fishing in the area concerned.
Request from Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa for the Ōhiwa Harbour temporary closure [PDF, 577 KB]
The proposed area was about 0.1 square kilometres, along about 650 metres of coastline.
Map of the proposed closure area within Ōhiwa Harbour [PDF, 1 MB]
Public notices about the call for submissions were scheduled to appear in the Bay of Plenty Times, and Whakatāne Beacon on Wednesday 12 June 2024.
Section 186A of the Fisheries Act 1996 allows the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries to temporarily close an area, or temporarily restrict or prohibit the use of any fishing method in respect of an area, if satisfied that the closure, restriction, or prohibition will recognise and provide for the use and management practices of tangata whenua in the exercise of non-commercial fishing rights.
Find out more about temporary closures
A temporary closure in this area would apply to recreation, commercial, and customary fishing.
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