Two Northland men who collected excess and undersize scallops in the Bay of Islands then used a false retrospective customary permit

trio were nabbed after taking 2638 green-lipped mussels - the daily limit is 50 per person - from Mair Bank, off Marsden Pt……..Hei attempted to organise a retrospective customary permit to gather shellfish and tried to organise access to Otangarei Marae to evade the fisheries officer.

convicted of altering a kaimoana customary fishing document to take smaller than allowed paua……He was also fined for taking more paua than permitted while diving off the Wairarapa coast.

falsely obtaining a customary authorisation to take paua……secured customary authorisations for fictitious events which allowed him to take more than the daily limit…….selling his paua for $22-$25 a kilogram, netting the group a profit of between $9085 and $12098.

caught selling paua fritters in Queen Elizabeth Park during Golden Shears became aggressive and threatened two fisheries officers,…..He had obtained a customary permit for 60 paua for a 21st birthday party

A man who used a falsified Maori customary permit to poach paua has been sentenced

senior Maori guardian of a Hawke's Bay customary food gathering area is facing charges after allegedly misleading fisheries officers……..discovered the men on November 8 at Clifton, south of Napier, allegedly with extra seafood - much of it undersized - and the permit altered to include the extra day.

Matt Paku, a commercial eel and paua fisherman, said legislation governing customary permits needs to be reworked and registered kaitiaki (guardians) held accountable at law for the permits they issue.
"It's too loose and needs to be tightened up.
"It's the inconsistency that lets a kaitiaki play God with the fisheries whether it's allowing undersized fish to be taken, the use or not of (breathing apparatus) tanks and whether the catch is even reported afterwards," he said.
"And you don't even have to be Maori. If an Asian or a Russian can influence a kaitiaki to sign a permit, then they're free to fish under customary right that ordinarily belongs only to Maori.
"The customary fishing permits are so loose and it's us Maori who are the burglars and the crooks once again. Is this a Maori fishing right or a free-for-all?

A Maori guardian and an MP have expressed anger at hundreds of crayfish being taken from a Napier customary fishing reserve using commercial fishing equipment………up to 40 commercial crayfish pots had been seen in the Moremore Mataitai (customary fishing reserve), gathering up to 1400 crayfish a week for "traditional purposes",……

obtaining a Maori customary fishing permit, but learned later that this covered seafood only for hui and tangi and the fish could not be sold to anyone.

 I am sure this is the tip (ie that's come to Fisheries attention) of a huge iceberg of graft.