Source: NZ Ministry for Primary Industries
About this consultation
This consultation is about the management of spiny rock lobster (kōura, crayfish) in the:
- Hauraki Gulf/Bay of Plenty (CRA 2) fishery
- Wellington/Wairarapa (CRA 4) fishery.
Fisheries New Zealand is consulting on ways to manage spiny rock lobsters to higher abundance in these areas.
Have your say
We want your feedback on:
- proposed management target options to help increase spiny rock lobster populations
- a draft fisheries plan for each stock under section 11A of the Fisheries Act 1996, which can be used as a tool to implement the management target and to define management actions to help manage the stock to the new target.
The draft fisheries plans have been developed by Fisheries New Zealand with input from stakeholders.
We’d like to hear from tangata whenua and stakeholders on how the proposals align with their aspirations for these fisheries. We’ll use the feedback received during this consultation to advise the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries on an appropriate management target for each fishery and on whether to approve the draft fisheries plans.
Submissions open on 11 August and close at 5pm on 8 September 2025.
Consultation documents
Draft fisheries plan for the Hauraki Gulf/ Bay of Plenty rock lobster fishery (CRA 2) [PDF, 594 KB]
Draft fisheries plan for the Wellington / Wairapa rock lobster fishery (CRA 4) [PDF, 618 KB]
Management target options for CRA 2 and CRA 4 and FNZ’s initial analysis [PDF, 4.4 MB]
Related documents
Fisheries Act 1996 – NZ Legislation
Fisheries Assessment Plenary: Stock Assessment and Stock Status (November 2024) [PDF, 19 MB]
Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Act 2000 – NZ Legislation
The Harvest Strategy Standard [PDF, 240 KB]
Operational Guidelines for New Zealand’s Harvest Strategy Standard [PDF, 843 KB]
Regional plan provisions and policy statements [PDF, 324 KB]
What’s being proposed?
We’re proposing a management target for the CRA 2 and CRA 4 fisheries with the aim of keeping more lobsters in the water. A management target is the amount of fish that we aim to maintain in a fishery. It also influences the level of catch that can be taken from a fishery. Fisheries New Zealand considers that managing these fisheries to a higher management target would better reflect ecosystem health, customary values, and stakeholder aspirations.
Fisheries New Zealand has identified 3 options for management targets for each of the CRA 2 and CRA 4 fisheries.
The draft fisheries plans are a tool to implement the new management targets to help ensure they are in place long-term while allowing for flexibility in future management decisions. The draft fisheries plans also formalise some recommended management actions, including monitoring the stock status relative to the new target. If approved under section 11A of the Act, the draft fisheries plans and the targets in them would be taken into account by the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries when making sustainability decisions for these fisheries.
Making your submission
Email your feedback on the management target options and draft fisheries plans by 5pm on 8 September 2025 to FMsubmissions@mpi.govt.nz
A template is available to help you complete your submission.
Submission form template [DOCX, 76 KB]
While we prefer email, you can post your submission to:
Inshore Fisheries Management
Fisheries New Zealand
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140.
What to include
Make sure you tell us in your submission:
- the title of the consultation document (for email, use “Draft CRA 2 and CRA 4 fisheries plans” in the subject line)
- your name and title
- your organisation’s name (if you are submitting on behalf of an organisation, and whether your submission represents the whole organisation or a section of it)
- your contact details (such as phone number, address, and email).
Answers to some questions you might have
Expand all
What is a management target?
Toggle expandable
A management target is the amount of fish that we aim to maintain in a fishery. Generally it’s a measure of biomass, which is the volume of fish in the fishery. The management target influences the level of catch that can be taken from a fishery.
It is common to assess the status of the stock against the management target and make recommendations for management action depending on the results. If a stock is below the target, then Fisheries New Zealand may recommend management actions to decrease catch and move the stock back toward the target. Or if a stock is above the target, Fisheries New Zealand may recommend options to increase catch.
What are the current management targets for CRA 2 and CRA 4?
Toggle expandable
The CRA 2 (Hauraki Gulf/Bay of Plenty) and CRA 4 (Wellington/Wairarapa) rock lobster fisheries are managed currently by default to the biomass that can provide for the maximum sustainable yield [see ‘Footnote’] (shortened to BMSY). This means the target is set to allow for the largest amount of fish that can be taken each year without compromising the ability for the fishery to replenish. The Fisheries Act 1996 requires that the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries set catch limits that manage fisheries at or above BMSY. The BMSY target is theoretically sustainable for the rock lobster fishery, but it doesn’t consider the needs of tangata whenua and stakeholders for the fishery or the wider ecosystem.
Under the 2008 Harvest Strategy Standard for New Zealand fisheries, 40% of the unfished biomass is generally used to indicate BMSY. For CRA 2 and CRA 4, a BMSY reference point has been calculated using fully quantitative stock assessment models that account for the unique biological characteristics of each stock and risk constraints. The default targets also account for a portion of rock lobster populations that are protected from fishing by rules for recreational and commercial fishers.
As part of a decision for catch limits for the CRA 2 fishery for 1 April 2025, the minister set catch limits that were consistent with managing the CRA 2 fishery to an interim target of double the biomass associated with BMSY.
Footnote: Maximum sustainable yield (MSY) is defined under the Fisheries Act 1996 as “the greatest yield that can be achieved over time while maintaining the stock’s productive capacity, having regard to the population dynamics of the stock and any environmental factors that influence the stock”.
How might this process influence catch limits this year or in the next few years?
Toggle expandable
In short, these changes are about longer-term tools to manage the fishery.
Approving the draft fisheries plans and the management targets within would not directly affect the current catch limits or sustainability measures for either CRA 2 or CRA 4. Instead, this process is more likely to have a lasting influence on the decision processes for these fisheries in the future.
If approved, the fisheries plans and the management target within would be one of a few mandatory considerations that the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries takes into account when making decisions for these stocks. The minister would have the discretion to make future decisions that are inconsistent with the fisheries plans if there is information to support that at the time.
What is a section 11A fisheries plan?
Toggle expandable
The Minister for Oceans and Fisheries is able to approve fisheries plan under section 11A of the Fisheries Act. These can relate to one or more stocks, fishing years, areas or any combination of those things. They may include fisheries management objectives, strategies to achieve those objectives, and performance criteria to measure the achievement of the objectives and strategies.
Fisheries Act 1996 (section 11A) – NZ Legislation
If approved, section 11A plans are taken into account by ministers when making decisions for those stocks, fishing years, or areas. This means the minister considers the content of the plan, alongside other relevant considerations, when making decisions. The plans can be amended over time to ensure they remain appropriate.
Examples of other fisheries plans include: National Inshore Finfish Plan and the Hauraki Gulf Plan. The proposed draft fisheries plans for CRA 2 and CRA 4 are slightly different from these other fisheries plans, as they would be specific to the management target and associated actions for these rock lobster fisheries.
National Inshore Finfish Fisheries Plan [PDF, 10 MB]
Hauraki Gulf Fisheries Plan [PDF, 14 MB]
What is a threshold?
Toggle expandable
A management threshold is another tool that can be used to inform fisheries management alongside a management target. A threshold sets a level that indicates biomass has fallen below the management target and that management action should be taken to prevent the stock from declining further.
This is similar to the more commonly used soft and hard limits, except that a threshold may not recommend as severe a management action. Fisheries New Zealand is proposing to introduce thresholds for the CRA 2 and CRA 4 stocks, in addition to the existing soft and hard limits, because we consider it will help encourage more responsive management of these fisheries.
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 and 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.
