When spat returned to the southern end of Ninety Mile Beach this month, commercial collectors agreed to leave their heavy machinery behind and harvest by hand instead. Photo / Rongo Bentson
When spat returned to the southern end of Ninety Mile Beach this month, commercial collectors agreed to leave their heavy machinery behind and harvest by hand instead. Photo / Rongo Bentson
Tensions on Northland's iconic Ninety Mile Beach over commercial mussel spat harvesting have eased after harvesters agreed to do the work by hand instead of taking heavy machinery onto the southern end of the beach.
Discussions between Te Rarawa hapū and the industry are continuing, with hapū pushing for a permanent agreement not to bring machinery south of Waipapakauri.
While commercial spat harvesting is legal and has been happening since the 1970s, the scale of the operation took locals by surprise when a video was posted on social media last month.
The clip showed eight loaders working in the surf to scoop up seaweed, then transferring it to 10 truck and trailer units parked on the sand.
On previous occasions spat harvesters have used tractors and heavy trucks on Ninety Mile Beach, angering some local residents. Photo / File
The video sparked an outcry about the potential effects on toheroa and tuatua beds, and raised questions about whether the industry was sufficiently monitored.
Under certain conditions the seaweed that washes up on Te Oneroa a Tōhē, Ninety Mile Beach, is covered in spat, the tiny larvae that grow into mussels.
After harvesting the spat is transported in refrigerated trucks to mussel farms around the country.
When the harvesters returned this month they were met by Ahipara kaitiaki Patau Te Pania, who told them his hapū did not want to stop them collecting spat but would not compromise about the use of heavy machinery on the beach.
After some discussion the spat collectors agreed to harvest by hand and leave their trucks and loaders parked further up the beach.
Some were already collecting by hand, which Te Pania commended.
"For us it's about respecting our foreshore and seabed and keeping with sustainable practices that preserve our taonga and moana. We're not going to allow all that machinery to come down onto the beach anymore," he said.
"This has always been our pātaka kai, our food basket. And the practice has a huge impact across Te Oneroa Tōhē," he said.
Spat collector Rob Denison talks with beach kaitiaki Patau Te Pania. Photo / Rongo Bentson
The agreement reached during the latest spat fall — in which spat collectors agreed not to use mechanical harvesting methods south of Waipapakauri — was amicable and positive, Te Rarawa chairman Haami Piripi said.
"We stand by our hapū in their decision to make a stand on this issue and will continue working with industry and iwi representatives to establish acceptable industry standards of practice in our rohe," he said.
Mussel spat harvesting is covered by the quota management system and a code of conduct set by Aquaculture New Zealand.
The code requires harvesters to avoid toheroa and tuatua beds, limit time on the beach, avoid areas of high public and cultural importance, and ensure all machinery is well serviced and not leaking fuel or oil.
Ninety Mile Beach provides 75 per cent of the spat for New Zealand mussel farms.
A new Te Oneroa a Tōhē Governance Board, set up as part of the Te Hiku Treaty settlement process, is currently developing a management plan for the beach which may include rules for commercial activities.
