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Download AudioTaranaki hapū have declared a rāhui along stretches of the coast as they try to protect their reefs from indiscriminate harvesting.
The ban on collecting kaimoana started at Orimupiko Marae near Opunake at the start of summer and has spread along the coast.
Wharehoka Wano from Te Kāhui o Taranaki, which is helping coordinate the initiative, says there’s a particular problem on long weekends, with people coming from as far as Auckland to collect paua.
“We had real concerns in the last couple of years when big groups of people from other parts of the country were coming down in van loads, going to those parts of our coastline that are accessible so they can drive right down to the beach and get straight onto the reefs. We’re talking 70, 80 cars at some of our big low tides,” he says.
Hapū are working with the wider community and government agencies, with a big part of their mahi being educating people about rāhui.
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