Large stretches of coastline from Northland to the Coromandel Peninsula will be closed to rock lobster fishing under new measures announced by Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones, with the Coromandel region among the areas most affected.
The changes are aimed at rebuilding declining spiny rock lobster populations and restoring balance to marine ecosystems, particularly in areas where kina barrens have become widespread.
Mr Jones says the coastline and most waters from Northland down to the Coromandel Peninsula will be off limits for spiny rock lobster fishing once the new rules take effect.
“These changes will create a chain of restrictions down the east coast and mean the coastline and most of the waters from Northland to Coromandel Peninsula will be off limits for spiny rock lobster fishing,” he said.
The closure of the inner Hauraki Gulf — which extends south from the Cape Rodney–Okakari Point Marine Reserve to Point Jackson Bay on the Coromandel Peninsula — will remain in place for three years for both commercial and recreational fishers. The inner Gulf was closed earlier this year following concerns about declining lobster numbers.
“Locals have raised serious concerns about the decline of spiny rock lobster in the inner Hauraki Gulf, and this has been backed up by fishery-independent research,” Mr Jones said. “To help the lobster population recover I’ve decided to stop spiny rock lobster fishing in the inner Gulf.”
Beyond the inner Gulf, further closures will extend northward. The CRA 1 fishery closure will run from Ohao Point, including Pārengarenga Harbour, to Cape Rodney at the southern edge of the Hauraki Gulf. A portion of the CRA 2 fishery will also close between Te Ārai Point and the inner Hauraki Gulf.
Recreational daily limits for spiny rock lobster will be reduced to two per person per day in the CRA 1 fishery, which includes parts of the west coast of Northland. To prevent pressure shifting to other species, a nationwide recreational daily limit of three packhorse rock lobsters per person will also be introduced.
Rock lobsters play a key role in controlling kina populations, which can devastate kelp forests when left unchecked.
“Rock lobster eat kina, which helps keep kina numbers down so they don’t destroy important marine habitat and cause bare areas known as kina barrens,” Mr Jones said.
Most commercial lobster fishing off Northland’s east coast has already ceased under a voluntary industry closure, but the Minister said further steps were needed.
“I commend the industry on taking action to support this fishery. However, further measures for both commercial and recreational fishers are needed to give the fishery the best opportunity for recovery.”
Consultation on the changes took place between August and September, with Fisheries New Zealand receiving more than 600 submissions from tangata whenua, recreational and commercial fishers, environmental groups and the wider public.
The new restrictions will take effect from 1 April 2026, with the Coromandel and Hauraki Gulf closures forming a central part of the Government’s wider effort to restore lobster stocks and improve long-term sustainability of coastal fisheries.
