Skip to main content

Proposed Kaikōura rock lobster temporary seasonal closure

UPDATE – 26 June 2026

Decision about closure from 1 July 2026

Following this consultation, Fisheries New Zealand has imposed a temporary 3-month closure of the rock lobster fishery at Kaikōura.

The closure will take effect from 1 July and end on 30 September 2026.

The closure applies across the Kaikōura Marine Area, as defined in Schedule 1 of the Kaikōura (Te Tai o Marokura) Marine Management Act 2014. This area extends from the mean high-water mark out to 12 nautical miles offshore and covers a stretch of coast running from Clarence Point southwards along the mean high-water mark to a point 300m north of the mouth of the Conway River.

The closure does not include the Hikurangi Marine Reserve, where rock lobster fishing is already prohibited under the Marine Reserves Act.

Fisheries Kaikōura Marine Area Temporary Closure) Notice 2026 (Notice No. MPI 2012)

Customary fisheries management areas, rules, and maps

Background to this consultation

The Kaikōura Marine Guardians, in conjunction with Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura, requested a temporary closure of the rock lobster fisheries in the Kaikōura Marine Area. The request has been made under section 186B of the Fisheries Act 1996.

The requested closure was to prohibit taking of rock lobster from 1 July 2026 to 30 September 2026. Your feedback was specifically sought on the suitability of these dates. The intention was to give rock lobster populations an opportunity to rebuild in the area while a wider review of management settings for the CRA5 (Canterbury/Marlborough) rock lobster stock is underway.

Fisheries New Zealand invited written submissions from anyone who had an interest in the fish stock concerned, or in the effects of fishing in the area concerned. 

Closure request document

Temporary seasonal closure for rock lobster fishing at Kaikōura [PDF, 275 KB]

The proposed closure area

The proposed closure covered approximately 1,521 square kilometres and includes all the South Island fisheries waters within the area defined as Te Whata o Rakihouia i Te Tai o Marokura – Kaikōura Marine Area in Schedule 1 of the Kaikōura (Te Tai o Marokura) Marine Management Act 2014.

This area extended from the mean high-water mark out to 12 nautical miles offshore and covers a stretch of coast running from Clarence Point southwards along the mean high-water mark to a point 300 metres north of the mouth of the Conway River.

Map of the proposed temporary closure [PDF, 430 KB]

Public notice

Public notices about the call for submissions were scheduled to appear in the Christchurch Press on Wednesday 8 April 2026, the North Canterbury News on Thursday 9 April 2026, The Weekend Express (Marlborough) on Saturday 11 April 2026, the Blenheim Sun on Wednesday 15 April 2026 and the Kaikoura Star on Thursday 16 April 2026.

Related information

Section 186B of the Fisheries Act 1996 allows the director-general of the Ministry for Primary Industries to temporarily close an area, or temporarily restrict or prohibit the use of any fishing method in respect of an area, if satisfied that the closure, restriction, or prohibition is likely to assist in recognising and providing for the use and management practices of tangata whenua in the exercise of non-commercial fishing rights.

Find out more about temporary closures

Submissions are public information

Note that all, part, or a summary of your submission may be published on this website. Most often this happens when we issue a document that reviews the submissions received.

People can also ask for copies of submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we must make the content of submissions available unless we have good reason for withholding it. Those reasons are detailed in sections 6 to 9 of the OIA.

If you think there are grounds to withhold specific information from publication, make this clear in your submission or contact us. Reasons may include that it discloses commercially sensitive or personal information. However, any decision MPI makes to withhold details can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may direct us to release it.

Official Information Act 1982 – NZ Legislation

Our privacy commitment

The Privacy Act 2020 applies to all submissions. Any personal information you provide will be used only for the purpose of informing this consultation. All submissions will be read by MPI staff. MPI may also use artificial intelligence (AI) to summarise content and identify key themes. All AI outputs will be subject to human review.

To find out about the personal information we collect, our approach to privacy and security, and your rights, refer to this web page: Privacy and security