South-East area fishing rules

Choose your fishing area

Checking the rules

Map of the South-East fishing area — A map of New Zealand showing the South-East fishing area in dark blue.

This area includes the east coast of the South Island between Clarence Point near Kaikoura, down to Slope Point in Southland.

Note: There is a small area around Kaikōura that has different rules.

Kaikōura area fishing rules

We recommend using the app to check size limits, catch limits, closed areas, and other restrictions wherever you're fishing.

The app is free and available for both Apple and Android devices.

App Store for iPhone (Apple)

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You can also keep scrolling on this page to see the rules.

Recent rule changes

From 1 October 2026: New rules for the Ngati Wheke Mātaitai, 3 mātaitai reserves In Lyttelton Harbour/ Whakaraupō and Rāpaki.

See 'closed areas and special restrictions' for a map and more details

The South-East area fishing rules

In the South-East area, there is a combined daily bag limit of 30 finfish* per fisher (excluding specified baitfish and freshwater eels), except for when fishing inside the Lyttelton Harbour/ Whakaraupō mātaitai reserves and Akaroa taiāpure (see 'closed areas and special restrictions' for more detail) where there is a combined daily bag limit of 10 finfish.

Any fish taken from these mātaitai reserves and/or taiāpure must be included and counted together with any finfish taken outside these areas to comply with the South-East Area combined daily bag limit of 30 finfish per person.

This means that you can have a combination of up to 30 of any finfish in total (of which no more than 10 can be taken from the Lyttelton/ Whakaraupō mātaitai reserves and/or Akaroa taiāpure). For example, you could have 10 kahawai, 10 blue moki and 10 red cod. As long as you have no more than 30 in total and no more than 10 of these were taken from the mātaitai reserves and/or taiāpure.

There are also species with individual daily limits within the combined daily bag limit of 30 (10 in the above listed mātaitai reserves and taiāpure) (Table 1). You must not exceed individual species limits. For example, there is a daily limit of 5 bluenose. This means you could have 5 bluenose, 15 kahawai and 10 red cod.

In addition to the combined daily bag limit of 30, you can take a maximum of 50 of any combination of baitfish species (Table 3) and a maximum of 6 freshwater eels (Table 4). For example, you could take 10 kahawai, 10 blue moki, 10 red cod and 50 baitfish.

Remember, there may be other specific rules in some areas. For example, a harbour might have different size limits for certain species. Check the "Closed areas and special restrictions" section on this page for more information.

* Finfish includes all species of finfish of the classes Agnatha, Chondrichthyes, and Osteichthyes, at any stage of their life history, whether living or dead.

Table 1: Individual species daily limits within the combined bag limit

Finfish species	Maximum daily limit per active fisher	Min fish length (cm)	Min set net mesh size (mm)
Blue cod	See below	33	—
Blue moki (closed Lyttelton Harbour/Whakaraupō)	15	40	114
Blue moki (Akaroa Taiāpure)	3	40	114
Bluenose	5	—	160
Blue shark	1	—	100
Bronze shark	1	—	100
Butterfish (Greenbone) (closed Lyttelton Harbour/Whakaraupō)	15	35	108
Butterfish (Greenbone) (Akaroa Taiāpure)	3	35	108
Elephant fish	5	—	150
Flatfish Lyttelton Harbour/Whakaraupō: (closed Rāpaki)	5	See below	100
Flatfish Ōpihi, Te Ahi Tarakihi, Waitarakao	10	See below	100
Groper (Hapuku) / Bass	Daily limit of 5 with no more than 3 kingfish	—	160
Kingfish		75	100
Hammerhead shark	1	—	100
Kahawai	15	—	90
Kahawai: Lyttelton Harbour/Whakaraupō (closed Rāpaki)	5		90
Mako shark	1	—	100
Marlin	1	—	100
Porbeagle shark	1	—	100
Quinnat salmon	1	—	—
Quinnat salmon (Otago Harbour)	1	45	—
Red cod (closed Lyttelton Harbour/Whakaraupō)	10	25	100
Red moki	15	40	115
Rig (closed Rāpaki)	5	—	150
School shark	5	—	150
Seven gilled shark	1	—	100
Skate/Ray (closed Lyttelton Harbour/Whakaraupō)	5	—	100
Snapper	10	25	125
Spiny dogfish	15	—	100
Southern bluefin tuna	1	—	100
Tarakihi	15	25	100
Thresher shark	1	—	100
Trumpeter	15	35	100
Warehou	15	—	100

Table 2 - Further size limits for finfish within the combined bag limit

Finfish species	Min fish length (cm)	Min set net mesh size (mm)
Flatfish (except Sand flounder)	25	100
Grey mullet	—	90
Red gurnard	25	100
Sand flounder	23	100
Spotted black groper	No take allowed
Trevally	25	100
White pointer shark	No take allowed
All other finfish	—	100

Table 3: Additional to combined bag limit

Baitfish species	Maximum daily limit per active fisher
Anchovy	Daily limit of 50 for any combination of these species
Jack/Horse/Chilean mackerel
Koheru/Scad
Pilchard
Piper/Garfish
Slender/Stout sprat
Yellow-eyed mullet

Table 4: Additional to combined bag limit

Finfish species	Maximum daily limit per active fisher	Min mesh size (mm)
Eel	6	12

Table 5: Blue cod restrictions

Blue cod...	Rule
Pot construction	Rigid square mesh, where: the squares in the mesh must be at least 54mm by 54mm the mesh should be strong, and not easily bent or reshaped.
Accumulation limit	When your fishing trip is more than 1 day, if you can prove you have not taken more than the daily bag limit on any given day you can possess 2 daily bag limits of blue cod.
Limits for certain areas	Kaikōura blue cod management area: Kaikōura Marine Area (Clarence River to Hurunui River) – 6 per fisher per day. Te Taumanu o Te Waka a Maui Taiāpure: 2 per fisher per day. Oaro-Haumuri Taiāpure: 2 per fisher per day. Outside these areas, 10 per fisher per day. Canterbury blue cod management area (Hurunui River to Rakaia River): 2 per fisher per day including Akaroa Taiāpure. Closed in Rāpaki, Lyttelton Harbour/ Whakaraupō and Extension Mātaitai Reserves North Otago blue cod management area (Rakaia River to Taiaroa Head): 10 per fisher per day. East Otago Taiāpure: 2 per fisher per day. Southern blue cod management area (Taiaroa Head to Sand Hill Point): 10 per fisher per day.
Measurable state	All blue cod must be landed in a measurable state. The following measurable states apply: Kaikōura blue cod management area (Clarence River to Hurunui River) – whole or gutted. Canterbury blue cod management area (Hurunui River to Rakaia River) – whole or gutted. North Otago blue cod management (Rakaia River to Taiaroa Head) – whole or gutted. Southern blue cod management area (Taiaroa Head to Sand Hill Point) – whole or gutted and/or headed**.
Eating blue cod on the boat	Fishers may possess blue cod in another state if it is immediately eaten on board the fishing vessel from which it was taken. Any fish eaten forms part of the daily limit.

Shellfish are considered "taken" (collected or harvested) when they can't freely return to the water. For example, when you put them in a bag. When you're gathering/collection, you can never possess more than your daily limit.

Remember, there may be other specific rules in some areas. For example, a harbour might have different size limits for certain species. Check the 'Closed areas and restrictions' section on this page for more information.

Shellfish Species	Daily limit per fisher	Min size (mm)
Cockles	150	none
Cockles: East Otago Taiāpure	50	none
Cockles: Akaroa Taiāpure	20	none
Cockles: Lyttelton Harbour/Whakaraupō (outside closed areas)	15	40
Kina (sea eggs)	50	none
Kina: Akaroa Taiāpure, Tuhawaiki and Te Ahi Tarakihi Mātaitai	20	none
Kina: East Otago Taiāpure	10	none
Mussels	50	none
Mussels: Lyttelton Harbour/Whakaraupō (closed Rāpaki)	30	70 (green lipped)
Oysters – Dredge^+ (Season: 1 Mar to 31 Aug)	50	58
Pāua - Canterbury
– Ordinary blackfoot* – Yellow foot *	5 5	125 80
Timaru Mātaitai - Ordinary blackfoot - Yellowfoot	3 (combined total)	125 80
Lyttelton Harbour/ Whakaraupō (outside closed areas) - Ordinary blackfoot - Yellowfoot	3 (combined total)	130
-Pāua vessel limit^x	9
Moeraki Mātaitai* (outside closed areas) - Ordinary blackfoot - Yellowfoot	3 (combined total)	125 80
East Otago Taiāpure**	0
Kaikoura pāua fishery (Marfells Beach to Conway River) open 1 May to 31 August (Closed 1 September to 30 April) – Ordinary blackfoot (Marfells Beach to Conway River)** – Yellow foot (Marfells Beach to Conway River) – Ordinary blackfoot (Oaro-Haumuri Taiāpure) – Yellow foot (Oaro-Haumuri Taiāpure) **	3 3 2 2	130 80 135 80
Pāua - All other South East areas - Ordinary blackfoot - Yellowfoot	10 10	125 80
Pipi	150	none
Pipi: Lyttelton Harbour/Whakaraupō (closed Rāpaki)	15	40
Scallops+ (Season: 15 Jul to 14 Feb)	20	100
Tuatua	150	none
All others (combined) •	50	none

^ During the open season dredge oysters can be harvested by dredge and the use of underwater breathing apparatus. Both the daily limit and minimum size of 58mm applies. Hand gathering dredge oysters: there is no restriction on either size or season for dredge oysters that are hand-gathered (includes shore picking and free diving, does not include diving using underwater breathing apparatus).

^x The pāua vessel limits apply to the master of the vessel. Daily limits apply up to the vessel limit. If you are the person in charge of or operating a vessel you are responsible for ensuring the vessel limit is not exceeded.

* View a map of the Moeraki Mātaitai Reserve including closed areas [PDF, 203 KB]

** View the East Otago Taiapure rules including closed and restricted areas [PDF, 1.5 MB]

*** Map of the Canterbury pāua restrictions [PDF, 204 KB]

**** Map of the Marfells Beach to Conway River Area [PDF, 58 KB]

+ Limited provision allows a diver on a vessel to gather extra bag limits of oysters and scallops for up to 2 other people acting in a dive safety capacity. Note: This only applies to taking scallops and oysters.

• This is a combined, mixed-species bag limit. It applies to all shellfish species not specifically named above and includes all crabs, limpets, starfish, periwinkles, whelks, barnacles and freshwater crayfish (koura).

This section has the rules for both:

spiny rock lobster
packhorse lobster.

Remember, there may be other specific rules in some areas. Check the 'Closed areas and special restrictions' section on this page for more information.

Daily bag limits

Spiny/red and packhorse rock lobster combined = 6 (maximum of 3 packhorse rock lobster).

Rock lobster minimum sizes

Lobster species	Tail width measurement
Red or spiny rock lobster (crayfish)	Male – 54 mm Female – 60 mm
Packhorse rock lobster	Male – 84 mm Female – 90 mm

Lobster species

Tail width measurement

Red or spiny rock lobster (crayfish)

Male – 54 mm

Female – 60 mm

Packhorse rock lobster

Male – 84 mm

Female – 90 mm

If you are unsure of the sex, use the female (larger) measurement.

Learn how to measure rock lobster and identify the sex:

Rock lobster (crayfish): rules and guidelines

Other rules and protections

There are rules for gathering rock lobster/crayfish that cover:

protected types
banned gathering methods
pot construction and use.

Protected types

Some types of rock lobster are protected. You must return them to the water straight away. Protected rock lobsters are:

undersized rock lobster
any female rock lobster carrying external eggs ("in berry") – these are carried on the underside of the tail
any rock lobster in the soft shell stage
any rock lobster that cannot be measured (for example, because of damage to the tail preventing accurate measurement). Specific exemptions for very large rock lobster with damaged tails mean you can keep:
- Spiny rock lobsters that weigh 600g or more, or have a carapace (body) length of 110mm or more.
- Packhorse rock lobsters that weigh 2kg or more, or have a tail length of 216mm or more.

Banned gathering methods

You can't possess rock lobster in an unmeasurable state seaward of the high water mark.
No spring-loaded loops or lassos – hand operated only.
No spears or puncturing devices – it is an offence to possess a speared rock lobster.
Do not remove external eggs from any rock lobster.
No baited nets.
Maximum of 3 rock lobster pots per fisher.
Maximum of 6 rock lobster pots from a vessel for 2 or more fishers.

Visit this page for information on pot construction and use:

Rock lobster

From Clarence Point to the Waitaki River

Telson clipping is required for all recreationally harvested spiny rock lobsters. The last third of the telson (central part of the tail fan) must be cut off so that it is noticeably shorter than the other sections of the tail fan. Do not telson clip any packhorse rock lobsters.

Labelled diagram of a telson-clipped lobster [PDF, 551 KB]

When daily limits are accumulated over a multi-day trip, the maximum number of spiny rock lobster that one person can have in their possession at any one time is:

18 spiny rock lobsters (3 daily bag limits of 6)

This possession limit applies everywhere, including in the home.

‘Bag and tag’ conditions apply – you must hold spiny rock lobster in a container or bag that contains only a single day’s catch, and is clearly labelled with:

the individual fisher’s name,
the date the lobsters were taken, and
the number of lobsters held.

For more details check the:

rules brochure,
the free NZ Fishing Rules app – Apple or android
rock lobster/crayfish methods page.

Blue cod restrictions

Blue cod...	Rule
Pot construction	Rigid square mesh, where: the squares in the mesh must be at least 54mm by 54mm the mesh should be strong, and not easily bent or reshaped.
Accumulation limit	When your fishing trip is more than 1 day, if you can prove you have not taken more than the daily bag limit on any given day you can possess 2 daily bag limits of blue cod.
Limits for certain areas	Kaikōura blue cod management area: Kaikōura Marine Area (Clarence River to Hurunui River) – 6 per fisher per day. Te Taumanu o Te Waka a Maui Taiāpure: 2 per fisher per day. Oaro-Haumuri Taiāpure: 2 per fisher per day. Outside these areas 10 per fisher per day. Canterbury blue cod management area (Hurunui River to Rakaia River): 2 per fisher per day including Akaroa Taiāpure. Closed in Rāpaki, Lyttelton Harbour/ Whakaraupō and Extension Mātaitai Reserves North Otago blue cod management area (Rakaia River to Taiaroa Head): 10 per fisher per day. East Otago Taiāpure: 2 per fisher per day. Southern blue cod management area (Taiaroa Head to Sand Hill Point): 10 per fisher per day.
Measurable state	All blue cod must be landed in a measurable state. The following measurable states apply: Kaikōura blue cod management area (Clarence River to Hurunui River): whole or gutted. Canterbury blue cod management area (Hurunui River to Rakaia River): whole or gutted. North Otago blue cod management (Rakaia River to Taiaroa Head): whole or gutted. Southern blue cod management area (Taiaroa Head to Sand Hill Point): whole or gutted and/or headed.
Eating blue cod on the boat	You can eat blue cod on the fishing boat it was caught on, but you have to eat it as soon as you fillet it. Any blue cod that you eat still counts towards your daily catch/bag limit.

Closed areas

You can't fish in these areas. This includes Marine Reserves. Follow the links to view maps of the reserves on the Department of Conservation (DOC) website:

Marine reserves are managed by DOC.

A to Z of marine reserves – Department of Conservation

Kaikōura earthquake-related closure

For the area between Marfells Beach (west of Cape Campbell) and the Conway River (which sits south of the Kaikōura township), extending 4 nautical miles from shore, the following will apply.

The Kaikōura pāua fishery (Marfells Beach to Conway River) is closed between 1 September and 30 April. If you take any pāua from this area during this time you may face prosecution.

In support of the extended season, the Minimum Legal Size has been increased for Ordinary (Blackfoot) pāua from 125 mm to 130 mm to protect a greater proportion of spawning pāua. Please ensure you are using the correct measuring tool and see our guidelines on harvesting pāua to ensure any undersized pāua are safely returned to the water.

Pāua: rules and guidelines

Recreational fishers will be able to take other shellfish and seaweed (except Bull kelp) in this area from 22 April 2024 onwards according to the limits set in the Fisheries (Recreational Management Controls) Notice.

(Pāua season)	Ordinary blackfoot pāua	Yellowfoot pāua
Marfells Beach to Conway River Open 1 May to 31 August (Closed 1 September to 30 April)	3	130 mm	3	80 mm
Oaro-Haumuri Taiāpure Open 1 May to 31 August (Closed 1 September to 30 April)	2	135 mm	2	80 mm

(Pāua season)

Ordinary blackfoot pāua

Yellowfoot pāua

Daily limit

Minimum legal size

Daily limit

Minimum legal size

Marfells Beach to Conway River

Open 1 May to 31 August (Closed 1 September to 30 April)

130 mm

80 mm

Oaro-Haumuri Taiāpure

Open 1 May to 31 August (Closed 1 September to 30 April)

135 mm

80 mm

There are some areas that remain closed to pāua gathering during and after the pāua season.

Te Taumanu o Te Waka a Māui Taiāpure (Kaikōura Peninsula)
Oaro Mātaitai
Mangamaunu Mātaitai
Te Waha o te Marangai Mātaitai.

The Oaro-Haumuri Taiāpure will be open to pāua gathering during the season according to the limits in the table above, but will be closed to seaweed and shellfish (except scampi, rock lobster, octopus and kina) gathering.

The Hikurangi Marine Reserve and Waiopuka (Wakatu Quay) reef area are closed to all fishing at all times.

Map of the Marfells Beach to Conway River Area showing open and closed areas to recreational pāua gathering.

Marlborough and North Canterbury fishing areas

The marine environment in the shellfish and seaweed closure area is damaged after the earthquakes and is going to take several years to recover. The loss of fishing grounds between North Canterbury (Conway River) and Marlborough (Marfells Beach) has caused an increase in fishing pressure on the neighbouring areas.

If you're gathering kaimoana in Marlborough and Canterbury, do your part to help keep these fisheries sustainable:

Limit your catch by taking less than your bag limit and just enough for a feed.
Change your fishing method or area if you are only catching small fish or shellfish.
Take special care to return an underside fish and shellfish immediately and with minimum harm.
Check local rules for updates every time you go fishing – download the NZ Fishing Rules app.
Report suspicious or illegal activity – call 0800 4 POACHER (0800 47 62 24).

Set netting restrictions

Set netting is prohibited offshore to 4 nautical miles along the east coast of the South Island from Clarence to South Point. However, exemptions apply. You can use set nets:

in estuaries, rivers, lagoons and inlets except for the Avon-Heathcote estuary
for flounder between 1 April and 30 September in the Pigeon Bay, Akaroa Harbour, Lyttelton Harbour and Port Levy areas around Banks Peninsula.

Flat fish (flounder) set nets must be:

9 meshes or less deep.
Have a monofilament diameter equal to or less than 0.35mm.
Have a minimum mesh size of 100mm.
Be anchored at each end.
Not exceed a total length of 60m.

Other areas where set or drag netting is restricted or banned

Kaiapoi and Waimakariri rivers – set netting restrictions
Lake Ellesmere – set netting restrictions
Catlins Lake – no set netting or drag netting
Otago Harbour – set netting restrictions.

r200216 Rec SN Closure Comms Maps South East Update 23092020 — Map of the areas closed for set netting in the South Island South East Coast.

Upper Otago Harbour and Port Chalmers

The use or possession of set nets is banned in the following geographical point references:

Upper Otago Harbour

A - 45º52.936’S, 170º31.590’E

B - 45º52.528’S, 170º31.721’E

C - 45º50.082’S, 170º36.053’E

D - 45º49.865’S, 170º36.143’E

Port Chalmers

E - 45º49.193’S, 170º37.608’E

F - 45º49.238’S, 170º37.920’E

G - 45º48.247’S, 170º37.712’E

Map of the areas closed for set netting in the Upper Otago Harbour and Port Chalmers in the South Island.

Otago Harbour entrance

The use or possession of set nets is banned in the following geographical point references:

A - 45°46.24’S, 170°43.20’E

B - 45°46.32’S, 170°43.54’E

C - 45°46.43’S, 170°43.21’E

D - 45°47.10’S, 170°43.21’E

E - 45°47.10’S, 170°43.51’E

Map of the areas closed for set netting in the Otago Harbour entrance in the South Island.

Taiāpure

An area of special significance to an iwi or hapū, where additional rules and restrictions are in place.

Download the rules brochures:

Find out more on the NZ Legislation website:

Mātaitai reserves

Mātaitai reserves are established over traditional Māori fishing grounds to allow for customary seafood gathering and sustainable management of the area/rohe moana by appointed Tāngata Tiaki/ Kaitiaki (Guardians). All commercial fishing is prohibited unless specifically allowed and fishing bylaw prohibitions and restrictions may apply to recreational fishing.

Lyttleton Harbour/Whakaraupō Mātaitai Reserve and Rāpaki - Banks Peninsula

These are 3 mātaitai reserves in Lyttleton Harbour/Whakaraupō. Tāngata tiaki/Kaitiaki have made bylaws for non-commercial fishers which have been approved by the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries to address localised declines of fish stocks and proactively protect and restore mahinga kai species to ensure ongoing utilisation for the community.

Different daily limits and restrictions apply to some species in these Mātaitai reserves as listed in the tables below.

Taking or possessing any seaweed (other than Undaria pinnatifida) from any of these mātaitai reserves is prohibited.

Taking or possessing any shellfish not listed below from the Lyttelton Harbour/ Whakaraupō and Extension Mātaitai Reserves is prohibited and taking or possession of any shellfish from Rāpaki Mātaitai Reserve is prohibited.

Shellfish	Lyttleton Harbour/ Whakaraupō and Extension	Rāpaki	Size Limit (mm)
Pāua (Both species combined)	3	No take	130
Vessel limit	9
Mussels	30	No take	70^x Green lipped mussel
Cockles	15	No take	40^xx
Pipi	15	No take	40^xx

^xgreen-lipped mussels are measured by the greatest overall length of the shell

^xxCockles and pipi are measured at the point of the shell that has the greatest diameter

Vessel limit

There is a maximum limit of 9 pāua allowed on a vessel taken from within the Lyttelton Harbour/Whakaraupō and Extension Mātaitai Reserves applying to the master of the vessel. Daily limits apply up to the vessel limit. If you are the person in charge of or operating a vessel you are responsible for ensuring the vessel limit is not exceeded.

Area closures

See map below for area closures within Lyttelton Harbour/Whakaraupō. Taking or possessing of pāua, cockles, and shellfish is prohibited from these areas:

pāua from Gollans Bay, Northeast Ōtamahua/Quail Island and from Livingstone Bay to Godley Head
cockles from Walkers Beach (Ōtamahua/Quail Island) and Rec Bay
shellfish from any whata kaimoana (shellfish aquaculture structures).

Finfish

Taking or possessing more than 10 finfish from these mātaitai reserves is prohibited and taking of some species is restricted as below.

Finfish	Lyttleton Harbour/ Whakaraupō and extension	Rāpaki
Blue cod	No take
Blue moki	No take
Butterfish	No take
Conger eel	No take
Flatfish	5	No take
Kahawai	5	No take
Red Cod	No take
Rig	5	No take
Skates	No take

Transiting through mātaitai reserves

The bylaws apply within the boundaries of the mātaitai reserve areas. If you have been fishing outside of the area boundaries, the general South East Area rules will apply. To assist fishery officers inspecting your catch, let them know where you have been fishing. Recording your vessel route on your vessel chart plotter or geolocated photographs showing where you were fishing will be helpful.

View the map [PDF, 879 KB]

Fisheries (Ngāti Wheke Mātaitai Reserves Bylaws) Notice 2026 (Notice No. MPI 2008)

Koukourarata - Banks Peninsula

View the map [PDF, 2.4 MB]

Fisheries (Koukourārata Mataitai Reserve Bylaws) Notice 2006 [PDF, 145 KB]

Timaru (Tuhawaiki, Te Ahi Tarakihi and Waitarakao mātaitai)

View the map [PDF, 500 KB]

Fisheries (Tuhawaiki, Te Ahi Tarakihi, Waitarakao Mātaitai Bylaws) 2019 [PDF, 51 KB]

View the map [PDF, 2.6 MB]

Fisheries (Lyttleton Harbour/Whakaraupō Mātaitai Reserve Bylaws) Notice 2020 [PDF, 47 KB]

Moeraki – Tikoraki/Tawhiroko and Turaka Waka areas are closed to the gathering of pāua

View the map [PDF, 203 KB]