Mahia police find undersized paua inside hidden compartments of car

Paua hidden underneath the transmission of a car stopped by police near Mahia. Photo / NZ Police

Remote doesn’t mean out of sight, when it comes to the poaching of paua.

Police and Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) staff stopped and eventually seized a vehicle on Mahia East Coast Rd on Wednesday, after finding undersized paua and crayfish in one or two “unusual” places.

Mahia sole charge police constable Chad Prentice says 17 undersized paua and “several” crayfish were stashed under the bonnet of a car, under a console in the transmission and in the boot, after the vehicle was first seen driving on a remote Mahia beach.

“As far as hiding stuff, particularly seafood, in cars it’s not common practice. It is unusual, but obviously it does get done from time to time when people are trying to get away with something significant like that,” Prentice said of the hiding places.

Mahia paua poachers hid their haul beside the engine of this vehicle.

“It’s not somewhere generally that we would look for something like seafood and I would say, on this occasion, the people that are involved are seasoned and so more and more educated and cunning with every time they do it.”

Two men were originally seen driving a vehicle along a remote beach on Wednesday. The pair were among four occupants of the car when it was later stopped by police.

Prentice hopes this is a “timely reminder” to stick to the rules around gathering shellfish.

The daily limit, per gatherer, for paua in the Central Regional Fishing Zone is five, for instance.

An MPI officer inspects shellfish seized from a vehicle near Mahia.

“Paua poaching on any of our remote coastlines is a significant issue,” said Prentice.

“The message here is that even on the really remote parts of our East Coast coastline, MPI and police are out and about, we are making the necessary checks and there’s a high chance that people will be stopped.”

Investigations following Wednesday’s seizure remain ongoing.

Hamish Bidwell joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2022 and works out of the Hastings newsroom.