1000-plus kina found during Maitai Bay kina cull

Maitai Bay in the Far North is blanketed by kina, with a kina cull last weekend recovering more than 1000 of them.

A temporary lifting of the rāhui at Maitai Bay has removed more than 1000 kina to help battle the kina barren blanketing the bay.

The Maitai Bay rāhui, which was set down in 2017, made a pioneering decision to have a kina cull day for a few hours on Saturday after Te Rangi i Taiawhiaotia Trust decided it would be a good way to could bring whānau and hāpu together to battle the kina barren in the rāhui space.

After a karakia to lift the tapu placed over the bay six years ago by kaumātua of Te Whānau Moana me Te Rorohuri, trust chairman Whetu Rutene briefed about 40 divers on the tikanga and safety processes of diving in the rāhui area.

Trust asset administrator Kataraina Rhind said more than 1000 kina were removed within a three-hour dive period.

Kina at Maitai Bay in the Far North are blanketing the seabed and thriving, with 1000 removed last Saturday during a kina cull.

Diver observations of fish, seaweed and kaimoana sizes and populations were also recorded.

Only kina were to be taken out or destroyed, and observations were to be recorded for future management strategies.

The feedback from the hāpu gathered was that it had been a successful event, and it was good to go back to their traditional areas again and see the improvements the rāhui had made, Rhind said.

Two pou watch on as the karakia is carried out before a kina cull at Maitai Bay in the Far North last Saturday.

“The families of children, parents and elders present had a positive experience blessed with beautiful weather. At the conclusion of our day, we closed up with karakia and put the rāhui back in place.”

She said the reconnection by the tamariki, whānau and hāpu who have lived there for generations was imperative for the rāhui to be a success during the time it is in place.

The information gathered will help in the management strategy of the rāhui, and will be inclusive of community supporters who have respected the process since it began.

A Maitai Bay kina barren, a sure sign that marine life is badly out of balance.

Rhind said Te Rangi i Taiawhiaotia Trust was continually researching and developing its protocols that align culturally with the methods of its ancestors to protect the environment.

“And on behalf of Te Whānau Moana me Te Rorohuri, [we] would like to thank everybody for attending and supporting the kaupapa of the rāhui on Maitai Bay.”

She said the trust’s science committee would now look at the information gathered during the kina cull to work out what the next steps would be. Rhind said the 1000 kina were gathered from only one side of the bay, which is blanketed by kina and has little kelp growing.

She said there may be a much larger kina cull in future because while seafood is coming back, the seaweed isn’t, due to the abundance of kina.

What is a kina barren?

A kina barren is an area that has been depleted of all life — except for kina. This is largely due to overfishing and the rapid reproduction of kina from sea temperatures rising. Kina barrens can devastate entire coastlines.

Some might think it’s ideal because its an easy feed of kina, but in reality when there is no kelp, there is nowhere for fish to breed, and for juvenile fish and crustaceans to hide, leaving behind a wasteland of barren white rock.