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Home / Gisborne Herald

Rahui on East Cape shellfish

Gisborne Herald
17 Mar, 2023 04:09 PMQuick Read

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Mussels, oysters, tuatua, pipi, toheroa, cockles, scallops, catseyes, kina (sea urchin) and all other bivalve shellfish should not be eaten.

Mussels, oysters, tuatua, pipi, toheroa, cockles, scallops, catseyes, kina (sea urchin) and all other bivalve shellfish should not be eaten.

ANNUAL rahui to build up shellfish supply in areas around the East Cape for the summer are in place until December.

Rahui is a temporary ban restricting access to or use of an area or resource.

These latest rahui end on December 1 for Wharekahika (Hicks Bay) and Lottin Point, while other areas, including Kaiaua, are under rahui until December 18.

Every year between Labour Weekend and December various marae and hapu around the East Cape issue rahui on shellfish, including kina, paua and koura (crayfish).

Wharekahika Maori Committee secretary and Te Runanganui o Ngati Porou board member Ani Pahuru-Huriwai said the rahui allowed the kapata kai (food cupboards) to recover and prepare for the summer months when people returned home and more tourists arrived.

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“People are pretty good at respecting the rahui. Everyone puts pressure on everyone else to wait and helps with monitoring and enforcing.

“There is always some contention with commercial fishers and we have no control over that. It is always a sore point with whanau, who just want to get kai for whanau.

“But we have no way of policing that so we just hope people respect it.”

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Rahui were traditionally instigated when a place became tapu (sacred) following a tragedy. In modern times, they have been also used to help shellfish beds and fish stocks regenerate.

“It is one of our conservation practices,” Ms Pahuru-Huriwai said.

“We never used to need it as kai moana was in such abundance, but now, as it becomes depleted, it is a modern method of rahui to ensure the kapata kai remains plentiful.”

They were always in discussion about when was the best time to have rahui.

“Some don’t want it now because all of the kina are fat. But we discuss when is the right time for rahui. As the climate changes, too, there will be different impacts that need to be addressed.”

A current major impact on kai moana is from silt and sediment washing down the rivers, especially from catchments with high levels of forestry.

“The sediment clogs up the crayfish holes and covers the reefs. It has been bad ever since Cyclone Bola. Every time it rains, the sea turns filthy, full of silt and sediment.”

Where rahui are placed and what they cover are up to each marae and hapu although most cover all shellfish and exclude fish.

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At most sites there are signs explaining the rahui while in some areas it is indicated by driftwood standing upright on the beach with seaweed hanging off it.

“We appreciate people respecting the rahui,” Ms Pahuru-Huriwai said.

“It is not law but our lore, and we have been practising it for decades.”

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