Fishing rules in the Moeraki Mātaitai Reserve
The Moeraki Mātaitai Reserve, north of Dunedin, was established in 2010. There are rules for all fishers collecting pāua in the reserve.
Catch/bag limit
You can only take a total of 3 pāua. They can be blackfoot or yellowfoot pāua.
Areas closed to pāua collecting
In the reserve, you can't take any pāua from the:
- Turaka Waka area
- Tikoraki/Tawhiroko area.
Map of the bylaw areas in the Moeraki Mātaitai [PDF, 203 KB]
The South-East fishing rules still apply
The Moeraki Mātaitai Reserve is within the South-East fishing area. Except for the pāua rules, all of the rules for the South-East area apply in the reserve.
Check the fishing rules for the South-East area
Background
Tangata tiaki/kaitiaki (guardians) are the fisheries managers for the reserve. In 2017, the tangata tiaki/kaitiaki notified the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) that they wanted to introduce bylaws to prevent overfishing of pāua in the reserve.
Following consultation, on 26 April 2018 the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries approved bylaws for the reserve. These bylaws apply to everyone fishing in the reserve.
Fisheries (Declaration of Moeraki Mātaitai Reserve Bylaws) 2018 (Notice No. MPI 860) – NZ Gazette
Mātaitai reserves and customary fishing
Mātaitai reserves are identified traditional fishing areas for tangata whenua. The kaitiaki (guardians) sustainably manage fisheries there through bylaws.
Learn more about customary fishing and management areas
Who to contact
If you have questions about Moeraki Mātaitai bylaws, email info@mpi.govt.nz
