Paua poachers spur iwi to guard North coastline | Northland News | Local News in Northland

Another east coast settlement has been spurred to take action against poachers after a massive paua bust at Takou Bay.

The scale of the pillaging - and fears the sea will soon be stripped of kaimoana - has prompted a Far North community to set up a coast watch group to dob in poachers, even if they are whanau.

A hui has been called this Saturday at Wainui Marae, north of Matauri Bay, to discuss the threat to kaimoana stocks and strengthen relationships between coastal communities and honorary fisheries officers.

Last month fisheries officers nabbed four Kaikohe men, aged 18 to 39, as they were leaving Takou Bay with 715 paua - 17 times the legal daily limit. All were undersized, with the smallest just 78mm. The minimum is 125mm.

The pillaging outraged residents at Takou Bay, north of Kerikeri, who have banned diving for kaimoana until further notice. They are also keeping an eye on all visitors and recording vehicle licence plates.

Wainui Marae secretary Mary-Lou Stock, of Mahinepua, said the Takou Bay bust was not the only case of poaching on the east coast in recent weeks.

In October, eight bags of kaimoana were seized from 10 Kaikohe men at Te Ngaere, north of Matauri Bay. On November 6, seven Kaikohe men were caught at Mahinepua with 66 crayfish, 12 of which were undersize.

"These numbers are outrageous," Ms Stock said.

"While these men rape our moana and profit, the whanau in our rohe [tribal area] starve. By the end of November kaimoana has been cleaned out. The whanau coming home from Australia or throughout New Zealand for Christmas, hungry for kaimoana, are left with the undersized or nothing."

Ms Stock said when her mother, now aged 73, was a child she could pick kina and paua off the rocks in a metre of water. She would lead her blind father to the rocks, where they would dangle a baited line to lure a crayfish out of its hole and catch it with their bare hands.

Over the past 20 years, however, she had seen kaimoana become ever scarcer.

"Today we have to go out further and further and dive deeper and deeper. Our tupuna sustained Tangaroa for us to enjoy, maintain and sustain for our mokopuna, not for greedy, profit-driven people. If this continues I can imagine in 10 years time, or maybe less, my son will be buying seafood for me because our moana is depleted."

Ms Stock said poachers were now on notice that the licence plates of any suspicious vehicles would be recorded, and a newly formed coast watch group was keeping an eye on the beaches from Te Tii in the south to Whangaroa in the north.

The group was compiling a list of coast watchers, honorary fisheries officers and the licence plates of known poachers.

"So watch out, poachers. You may pass us while we're in our vehicles, our boats, or just sitting on the beach. We'll have our mobile phones ready to report you, even if you are whanau," she said.

The marae was encouraging other hapu and communities to start their own coast watch groups.

The hui is at Wainui Marae, on Wainui Valley Rd north of Matauri Bay, at 2pm on Saturday, November 19. All members of the rohe and coastal community are welcome; bring a plate. The coast watch group proposes covering the Ngati Rehia strongholds of Te Tii and Takou Bay, as well as Matauri Bay, Te Ngaere, Wainui, Mahinepua, Matangirau and Whangaroa.