Have your say
Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa has requested a further 2-year closure over an area within Ōhiwa Harbour in the Bay of Plenty to the harvest of mussels, under section 186A of the Fisheries Act 1996.
The purpose of the closure is to allow juvenile mussels the opportunity to grow to maturity in the proposed closure area.
Fisheries New Zealand invites written submissions from anyone who has an interest in the species concerned, or in the effects of fishing in the area concerned.
Closure request
Request from Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa for the Ōhiwa Harbour temporary closure [PDF, 164 KB]
Area boundary of the proposed closure
The proposed area is around 100,000 square metres (0.1 square kilometres) along approximately 650 metres of coastline near the end of Harbour Road, Ōhope.
Map of the proposed Ōhiwa Harbour temporary closure [PDF, 423 KB]
Making your submission
Submissions close at 5pm, Friday 21 August 2026.
Email your submission to FMSubmissions@mpi.govt.nz
While we prefer email, you can post your submission to:
Fisheries Management – Spatial Allocations
Fisheries New Zealand
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140.
Public notices
Public notices about the call for submissions are scheduled to appear in the Bay of Plenty Times, Whakātane Beacon, and Ōpotiki News on 9 and 10 July 2026.
Related information
Section 186A of the Fisheries Act 1996 allows the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries 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 will recognise and provide for the use and management practices of tangata whenua in the exercise of non-commercial fishing rights.
Find out more about temporary closures
A temporary closure in this area will apply to recreation, commercial and customary fishing.