Story: Marine conservation

Collecting kina

Collecting kina

Traditionally, men caught fish and women collected shellfish and other shallow-dwelling creatures which could be harvested without canoes. At low tide, families still collect kina (sea urchins) and pāua from rocky shores, and species such as pipi are taken from mudflats and sand flats. Māori conserved these resources with restrictions on seasonal take, and rules about harvesting some species. For example seafood was collected on a rotational basis, and fish and shellfish were only gutted above the high-tide mark.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Evening Post Collection (PAColl-0614)
Reference: EP/1979/0120/11a

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Gerard Hutching and Carl Walrond, 'Marine conservation - Māori and the sea', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/5800/collecting-kina (accessed 15 May 2024)

Story by Gerard Hutching and Carl Walrond, published 12 Jun 2006, updated 1 Sep 2015