If you have seen bare rockpools lately, you are not alone.

The Government is seeking urgent advice on how to respond to reports of rockpools on Whangaparāoa Peninsula and other areas being stripped of marine life, including at Army Bay on the Hibiscus Coast.

Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has asked Fisheries New Zealand officials to provide the advice “with urgency given the situation at Army Bay and elsewhere”.

In October 2025, the Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust requested a two-year temporary fisheries closure over the Rodney, Hibiscus Coast, and East Coast Bays coastline and some Hauraki Gulf islands.

Fisheries New Zealand has collated submissions from public consultation and received feedback from the trust.

“I acknowledge people are concerned at what they say is the indiscriminate collection of marine life at intertidal rockpools. These shellfish and other marine creatures reportedly being collected in large numbers by often big groups of people are crucial for the health of these ecosystems,” Mr Jones says.

He says, alongside any potential fisheries closures, he is considering other steps to dissuade people from collecting marine life that is not traditionally eaten and is at risk of disappearing from some areas completely, including prohibitions on collecting certain species and social media campaigns “at educating collectors from all cultures about the risks of taking large amounts of sea creatures from tiny ecosystems”.

In the past week, Parliamentary Under-Secretary Jenny Marcroft travelled to Whangaparāoa with Fisheries staff and met concerned residents and Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust representatives.

“We’re working with all parties to find a solution to the issue that is satisfactory to all, but we need to make sure there are no unintended consequences, such as for oyster farmers who legitimately collect spat from beaches,” Ms Marcroft says.

She adds: “It is important to acknowledge that no one in this situation is breaking the law but it is clear that this level of collection of marine life from these intertidal pools is not sustainable.”

“Minister Jones and I are determined to ensure these areas recover and thrive so that all Kiwis can enjoy them.”

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