08/10/2026
Well worth a share to help prevent excessive harvesting. New shellfish rules for Auckland and Coromandel come into effect from 1st November. Includes new daily limits in Intertidal Zones and the Wider Auckland Coromandel Area.
This morning, the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, Hon Shane Jones, and Under-Secretary Jenny Marcroft, announced the closure of much of the intertidal zone in the Auckland and Coromandel regions to recreational fishing for a range of species, reducing bag limits for others, and introducing daily limits outside of the intertidal zone.
Summary of the minister's decisions
These decisions apply from 1 November 2026.
Recreational harvesting of invertebrates, except for named species of shellfish, will be prohibited in a defined intertidal closure area. Invertebrates are species without a backbone which includes all shellfish and other marine life such as anemones and sponges.
The intertidal closure will apply from the mean high-water mark (that is, the landward boundary) to a point offshore where the water is 2 metres deep (that is, the seaward boundary).
The seaward boundary of the intertidal closure will move as the tide goes in and out – refer to images in the fact sheet.
The intertidal closure area will apply to a specified area on the Auckland-Coromandel mainland extending from Cape Rodney to Houmanga Point (north of Waihi Beach) on the east coast and from Ōkiritoto Stream on Muriwai Beach to Port Waikato on the west coast.
The closure will also apply to the Waiheke Island coastline.
New recreational daily limits will apply to certain species of shellfish. Refer to Table 1.
https://www.mpi.govt.nz/dmsdocument/72790-New-shellfish-rules-for-Auckland-and-Coromandel-Fact-sheet
