A 42-year-old Kaitāia man has been jailed for a year for pāua poaching, after being caught selling approximately $12,000 of the molluscs on the black market.
William Rini Wikitera was handed year-long jail term in the Auckland District Court, the Ministry of Fisheries said in a statement today.
Mr Wikitera was one of two people before the court for pāua-related offences, under the Fisheries Act, committed between March and August 2015.
He also had previous convictions for pāua poaching.
Mr Wikitera was identified in a investigation by MPI fisheries officers, involved in $12,000 worth of pāua being sold in Northland and Auckland. The pāua had been illegally gathered in Northland.
MPI team manager northern investigations Simon Anderson, says the sentence sends a clear message that taking more than the legal limit of pāua as well as dealing with it on the black market is a serious offence.
"A jail term is a very significant penalty. People who are currently involved in this sort of illegal behaviour or are anticipating being involved will be punished accordingly," says Mr Anderson.
"People should also be aware that this sort of illegal activity is very often witnessed by members of the public who play an invaluable role as our eyes and ears along New Zealand's extensive coastline."
The case of the other man who was charged under the Fisheries Act over pāua-related offences is still before the courts.
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