Latest updates


Groups unite to celebrate scallop closure

March 20, 2023 Environmental, iwi and recreational fishing interests in the Hauraki Gulf are celebrating the Minister’s decision to close the Coromandel scallop fishery indefinitely.  The Coromandel scallop fishery stretches from Leigh, Rodney in the north to Maketū in the Bay of Plenty.  Ngāti Hei led the closure with a rāhui prohibiting the harvest of scallops on the […]

A healthier Hauraki Gulf must come first

March 14, 2023 It’s time to look into the future of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park. There is a growing awareness that we collectively need to be doing more to protect and enhance the waters of the Marine Park. So it’s unfortunate that Government plans for the future management of the Park include maintaining areas for trawling and […]

Tony Orton: My letter of resignation

February 28, 2023 In April 2022 Tony Orton, from Offshore Adventures, was nominated to be a part of the Hauraki Gulf Fisheries Plan Advisory Group. In February 2023 he resigned in disgust. You can read his resignation letter below with details of his experience. — In early 2022, I was appointed to the advisory group helping to establish […]

LegaSea newsletter #130 – We need you to help the Gulf now

February 27, 2023 It’s been a difficult time for many of us with the recent weather events and our hearts go out to everyone who is suffering from the aftermath. The good news is that our work across several fisheries carries on regardless and the deadlines for public consultation on critical issues, such as the Hauraki Gulf Marine […]

Community bewildered at kina dredging in the Tory Channel.

February 23, 2023 Kina, a shellfish known around the south as ‘spiky gold’, is still being dredged commercially in the Tory Channel. Recreational fishers and environmental interests are objecting to this archaic practice and are urging the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries to ban all dredging in the Tory Channel from April 2023.  “It’s as if no lessons […]

LegaSea newsletter #128 – What we want for Christmas

December 21, 2022 After a massive year everyone has earned a good break. We started and finished the year talking about the loss of our precious taonga, our scallops. In between, our fisheries team has been flat out reacting to a whole bunch of important issues and some outrageous proposals for snapper, hāpuku, crayfish, paua and blue cod […]

Communities and fishers welcome emergency scallop closure

December 14, 2022 Communities and fishers have welcomed Minister David Parker’s decision to use emergency powers to close the last two commercial scallop beds in New Zealand, in the Hauraki Gulf. The other scallop beds around Northland, Auckland and the Bay of Plenty, were closed earlier this year after a widespread community outcry at the disappearance of the […]

LegaSea newsletter #127 – Snapper, pāua and crayfish: a mixed bag

December 12, 2022 It’s officially summer, but someone needs to tell the weather gods as the unsettled, windy, spring-like weather continues. Pretty frustrating when you are trying to get out fishing! The end of the year is upon us and we’re trying to wrap things up, but issues like the Hauraki Gulf, Northland crayfish and Kaikōura pāua (read […]

Proposed Hauraki Gulf marine protection – a farce?

December 6, 2022 Support for more protection of treasured Hauraki Gulf Marine Park waters continues to grow, so it’s interesting that recent Government proposals to increase no-fishing areas do not necessarily mean more fish in the water. In September 2022, the Department of Conservation asked for public feedback on a range of proposals, presenting 12 High Protection Areas […]