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Proposed further temporary fishing closure of Umupuia Beach, Clevedon, to the harvest of cockles

UPDATE – 6 DECEMBER 2022

Minister’s decision

Following consultation, the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries has decided to temporarily close Umupuia Beach to the take of cockles between 19 December 2022 and 18 December 2024, inclusive.

Umupuia Beach [JPG, 1.9 MB]

Published gazette notice

Customary fisheries management areas, rules, and maps

Your views sought

Ngāi Tai Ki Tāmaki Trust has requested a further 2-year temporary closure to the harvest of cockles, from Umupuia Beach, Clevedon, east of Auckland. Fisheries New Zealand invites submissions about the request from persons who have an interest in the cockle stock or the effects of fishing in the area.

Background information about the request

Find out more about temporary closures

Map of the proposed closure area

Proposed Umupuia Beach temporary closure [PDF, 307 KB]

Area boundaries

The approximate area of the proposed temporary closure includes all those fisheries waters within the following lines:

  • commencing at the mean high water springs at Te Puea at the western end of the beach known as Umupuia Beach (at 36°53.77'S and 175°03.82'E); then
  • proceeding in a straight line in a south-easterly direction to Whakakaiwhara Point (at 36°54.05'S and 174°05.88'E); then
  • proceeding along the mean high water springs to the point of commencement.

Document asking for the closure

Download a copy of the request from the Ngāi Tai Ki Tāmaki Trust [PDF, 262 KB] 

Making your submission

The closing date for submissions is 5pm on Monday 9 November 2020.

Email your submission to FMSubmissions@mpi.govt.nz

While we prefer email, you can post your submission to:

Spatial Planning and Allocations
Fisheries Management
Fisheries New Zealand
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140.

Public notice about the request

A public notice about the call for submissions was scheduled to appear in the New Zealand Herald on Saturday, 3 October 2020.

Background to the request

Section 186A of the Fisheries Act 1996 provides that the Minister of Fisheries may 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.

The trust considers that a further 2-year closure will:

  • recognise and provide for the management practices of Ngāi Tai ki Tamaki in their exercise of non-commercial fishing rights
  • allow time for an agreed pathway to be established for the future management of the cockle population in the area.

Submissions are public information

Note, that any submission you make becomes public information. People can ask for copies of submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we have to make submissions available unless we have a good reason for withholding it. That is explained in sections 6 and 9 of the OIA.

Tell us if you think there are grounds to withhold specific information in your submission. Reasons might include that it's commercially sensitive or it's personal information. However, any decision Fisheries New Zealand makes to withhold information can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may tell us to release it.