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June 7, 2026 Action Outdoors

The Complete Guide to Crayfish Potting & Diving in New Zealand — Updated Rules for 2026

⚠️ Disclaimer: The fishing rules in this article are based on information from Fisheries New Zealand / MPI and official government publications current as of June 2026. Fishing rules change regularly — always check the latest rules on the MPI website or the free NZ Fishing Rules App before you go fishing. Rules differ by area and season. Action Outdoors takes no responsibility for any inaccuracies — when in doubt, contact MPI directly at info@mpi.govt.nz.

🦞 Shop our full range of Crayfish Pots & Accessories and Cray Pot Rope at Action Outdoors — NZ's largest fishing equipment supplier.

Introduction — Crayfish in New Zealand

Crayfish (rock lobster) fishing is one of New Zealand's most popular and rewarding outdoor activities. Whether you're dropping pots off the rocks or diving down to pull them out by hand, there's nothing quite like bringing home fresh crayfish for the table.

But crayfish fishing in New Zealand comes with strict rules — and they've changed significantly in 2026. New area closures, reduced bag limits, and a new national packhorse limit all took effect from 1 April 2026. Getting it wrong can mean fines up to $250,000, gear seizure, and even prosecution.

This guide covers everything you need to know: the two species of rock lobster in NZ, where you can fish, the latest catch and size limits for every area, how to set up and use craypots legally, diving techniques, and the gear you need to get started.

Know Your Crayfish — Two Species

New Zealand has two species of rock lobster that recreational fishers can target:

🔴 Red (Spiny) Rock Lobster — Jasus edwardsii

  • Māori name: Kōura papatea
  • Appearance: Dark red-orange body covered in spines. The most common species around NZ.
  • Size: Typically 1–3 kg. A 3+ kg crayfish is considered old.
  • Habitat: Rocky reef areas, ledges, caves, and crevices from the shallows down to 200+ metres. Found throughout NZ.
  • Minimum tail width: Male 54 mm / Female 60 mm

🟤 Packhorse Rock Lobster — Sagmariasus verreauxi

  • Māori name: Kōura papatea
  • Appearance: Larger, green-brown to olive colouring, smoother shell with fewer spines.
  • Size: Can grow much larger than spiny — up to 10+ kg.
  • Habitat: Mainly found in warmer northern waters. Less common than spiny.
  • Minimum tail width: Male 84 mm / Female 90 mm

How to tell them apart: Packhorse lobsters are generally larger, smoother, and olive-green rather than spiny red. If you're unsure of the species or sex, always use the larger (female) measurement for that species.

🗺️ CRA Areas — Where You Can Fish

New Zealand's rock lobster fishery is divided into Quota Management Areas (CRA areas). Each area has its own rules, catch limits, and sometimes seasonal closures. Knowing which CRA area you're fishing in is essential.

CRA Area Region
CRA 1 Northland (both coasts)
CRA 2 Hauraki Gulf, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty
CRA 3 Gisborne, East Cape, Māhia
CRA 4 Hawke's Bay, Wairarapa, Wellington
CRA 5 Marlborough, Canterbury
CRA 6 Chatham Islands
CRA 7 Otago
CRA 8 Southland, Stewart Island
CRA 9 West Coast (South Island), Taranaki

🚨 Major Closures — Effective 1 April 2026

Significant new closures came into effect on 1 April 2026 to protect declining rock lobster populations and tackle urchin barrens in northeastern New Zealand:

  • East coast of CRA 1 CLOSED: All commercial and recreational harvest of spiny rock lobster is banned from Ohao Point (including Pārengarenga Harbour) in the far north down to Cape Rodney, out to 12 nautical miles offshore. This covers the entire eastern Northland coast.
  • Northern CRA 2 CLOSED: The coastline from Te Ārai Point to Cape Rodney is closed to both commercial and recreational spiny rock lobster fishing, to prevent pressure shifting south from the CRA 1 closure.
  • Inner Hauraki Gulf CLOSED: Waters south of a line from the Cape Rodney–Ōkakari Point Marine Reserve to Port Jackson (top of Coromandel Peninsula) remain closed to spiny rock lobster fishing.

Together, these closures create a continuous chain of restrictions from Northland through to the Coromandel Peninsula. The west coast of CRA 1 (Northland's west coast) remains open, but with reduced daily limits.

Always check the MPI website or the NZ Fishing Rules App for the exact boundaries and any additional area-specific closures before heading out.

📊 Daily Catch Limits & Size Limits (Updated 2026)

These limits reflect the changes that took effect 1 April 2026:

Daily Bag Limits

Area Spiny Rock Lobster Packhorse Rock Lobster Combined Daily Limit
CRA 1 (Northland) 2 per person ⚠️ reduced from 3 3 per person 5 ⚠️ reduced from 6
CRA 2 (Hauraki Gulf / BOP) 3 per person 3 per person 6
CRA 3 (Gisborne / East Cape) 3 per person 3 per person 6
CRA 4–9 (all other areas) 6 per person 3 per person 6

⚠️ New for 2026: There is now a national daily limit of 3 packhorse rock lobster per person (previously no separate packhorse limit existed). This applies everywhere in New Zealand.

Minimum Size Limits (All Areas)

Species Male — Tail Width Female — Tail Width
Red / Spiny Rock Lobster 54 mm 60 mm
Packhorse Rock Lobster 84 mm 90 mm

How to measure: Measure the tail width in a straight line between the tips of the two large (primary) spines on the second segment of the tail. If you're unsure of the sex, always use the female (larger) measurement. Certified measuring gauges are available from MPI offices.

Special Rules by Area

  • CRA 2 & CRA 5: Recreationally caught rock lobsters must be telson clipped — cut the last third of the telson (central tail fan) so it's noticeably shorter.
  • Eastern Bay of Plenty (Cape Runaway to East Cape Lighthouse): Telson clipping required for all spiny rock lobsters.
  • CRA 5 (Canterbury/Marlborough): Accumulation limit of 3 daily bag limits (18 lobsters total). Each day's catch must be stored separately with your name, date, and count.
  • Stewart Island (Paterson Inlet): Limit of 2 pots per person.

Protected Crayfish — Must Be Returned Immediately

You must return these crayfish to the water straight away, with care:

  • 🚫 Undersized — below the minimum tail width for their species and sex
  • 🚫 Females in berry — carrying external eggs on the underside of the tail (look for bright red/orange clusters that resemble small grapes)
  • 🚫 Soft shell — crayfish that have recently moulted and feel soft when gently squeezed
  • 🚫 Unmeasurable — any crayfish with damage to the tail that prevents accurate measurement

Exceptions for damaged tails: You may keep a spiny rock lobster weighing 600 g or more (or with a carapace length of 110 mm+), or a packhorse weighing 2 kg or more (or tail length of 216 mm+).

How to check sex: Look at the rear legs — females have small pincers on the last pair. Also check the pleopods (small swimming legs under the tail): paired = female, single = male. Females carrying eggs will often sit in caves with their tails tucked underneath.

🪤 Craypotting — The Complete Guide

Cray potting is one of the most popular ways to catch crayfish in New Zealand. Whether you're dropping pots off the beach rocks or from a boat, here's everything you need to know.

Pot Limits

  • 1 person: Maximum of 3 pots per day
  • 2+ people on a vessel: Maximum of 6 pots per day (each person can use no more than 3)
  • Stewart Island (Paterson Inlet): Maximum of 2 pots per person

Legal Pot Requirements

Your craypot must have legal escape gaps so undersized crayfish can get out. Here are the requirements:

Pot Type Escape Gaps Required Minimum Gap Size
Round / Beehive At least 3 gaps (not in top or bottom) 54 mm × 200 mm each
Square / Rectangular At least 2 gaps in opposite faces 54 mm × 200 mm each, at least 80% of the face height/length
Mesh pots (spot-welded mesh, 54 mm × 140 mm minimum openings) No extra gaps needed Covers/liners must leave 80%+ of 2 opposite sides open

Marking Requirements

  • All pots AND surface floats must be clearly, legibly, and permanently marked with your surname and initials
  • Adding your phone number is voluntary but highly recommended — if your pot goes adrift, someone can contact you
  • Use a permanent marker or engraving so it doesn't come off

Potting Best Practices

  • Never leave pots baited and unattended for more than 24 hours. Octopus can enter pots and kill trapped crayfish that can't escape.
  • Bait: Fresh fish frames, heads, or offcuts work well. Use a bait holder or bait basket to keep bait secure inside the pot.
  • Location: Set pots near rocky reef edges, ledges, and drop-offs where crayfish live. Depth of 5–30 metres is typically productive.
  • Check quickly: When you haul your pot, immediately check for undersized, soft shell, or females in berry and return them to the sea.
  • Rope length: Use enough rope so your buoy floats on the surface with some slack — typically 1.5–2× the water depth. Use quality sinking rope to keep lines off the surface and away from boat propellers.

Choosing the Right Craypot

Action Outdoors carries a full range of craypots designed for New Zealand conditions:

Need to replace pot mesh or build your own? Browse our Cray Pot Netting range, including heavy-duty 120ply and standard 45ply mesh in black and orange.

Craypot necks and throats: Replace worn-out entrances with our Macca Craypot Necks.

Essential Accessories

🤿 Diving for Crayfish — Tips & Rules

Diving (freediving or SCUBA) is a thrilling way to catch crayfish, and in many areas it's more productive than potting. Here are the rules and techniques.

Legal Methods

  • ✅ Hand gathering — the most common method
  • ✅ Hand-operated lassoes / snares — a loop on tubing placed over the crayfish and drawn tight
  • ❌ No spears or puncturing devices — it is illegal to use any spear or device that could puncture the shell
  • ❌ No spring-loaded lassoes — the loop must be drawn tight by hand only
  • ❌ No baited set nets for taking rock lobster

Diving Techniques

  1. Cover ground systematically. Map out the reef underwater so you don't cover the same area twice. Use landmarks above and below the water to keep your bearings.
  2. Look everywhere. Check under every ledge, rock, crack, and crevice. Crayfish can sit upside down on the ceiling of caves and at different levels in the cracks. A dive torch is essential for seeing into deep holes.
  3. Check before you grab. Before attempting to pull a crayfish out, check if it's in berry (eggs under the tail), soft shell, or undersized. If a female has her tail tucked underneath, she's likely carrying eggs — leave her be.
  4. The two-hand technique: Distract the crayfish with one hand while moving the other behind it. As the cray backs away from your front hand, block it with the rear hand and grab from both sides.
  5. Grab at the base of the horns if you can't use the two-hand approach. Once you have hold, immediately grab the tail with your other hand to stop it flapping away.
  6. If it's wedged in: Wiggle the crayfish side to side vigorously — this disorients them and causes them to release their grip on the rock.
  7. Surface recovery: Always allow proper recovery time between dives. Don't rush — fatigue leads to mistakes and danger.

After Catching

  • Measure immediately. Rock lobster go blind in sunlight — measure as quickly as possible.
  • Return undersized/protected crayfish straight away onto suitable rocky habitat so they can find shelter from predators.
  • Avoid grabbing legs or antennae — they break off easily, and injured lobsters seldom survive.
  • Keep your catch cool and protected from sun and wind once measured and kept.

⚖️ Key Rules Everyone Must Know

  • 🚫 It is illegal to buy, sell, or trade recreationally caught crayfish. Fines up to $250,000.
  • 📏 Measure every crayfish — if any part of the spines or shell on the measurement segment is broken and it can't be accurately measured, it must be returned.
  • 🪪 Mark your gear — all pots and floats must display your surname and initials permanently.
  • ⏰ Don't leave pots for more than 24 hours — unattended baited pots attract octopus which will kill trapped crayfish.
  • 👀 Only people present when the crayfish were caught can include them in their daily limit. You can't catch someone else's limit if they weren't there.
  • 📱 Check before you go — rules change often. Use the free NZ Fishing Rules App or text the species name to 9889 for a quick size/limit reply.
  • 📞 Report poaching: Call 0800 4 POACHER (0800 476 224) or email poacher@mpi.govt.nz.

🦞 Quick Reference Card

Rule Details
Spiny size limit Male 54 mm / Female 60 mm tail width
Packhorse size limit Male 84 mm / Female 90 mm tail width
Daily limit (most areas) 6 combined (max 3 packhorse)
Daily limit CRA 1 5 combined (max 2 spiny, max 3 packhorse)
Daily limit CRA 2 & 3 6 combined (max 3 spiny, max 3 packhorse)
Pot limit (1 person) 3 pots maximum
Pot limit (2+ on vessel) 6 pots maximum
Catching methods Pots, hand gathering, hand lassoes only
Protected crayfish Undersized, females in berry, soft shell, unmeasurable
Pot check frequency At least every 24 hours
Pot marking Surname + initials on pot AND float
Selling catch ILLEGAL — fines up to $250,000

🛒 Get Set Up — Shop Crayfish Gear at Action Outdoors

Whether you're a first-time potter or a seasoned diver, we've got everything you need:

Based in Auckland with nationwide shipping. Questions? Email us at sales@actionoutdoors.kiwi or call 09 820 8023.

📅 Article published: June 2026
Sources: MPI Rock Lobster Rules & Guidelines, Fisheries (Recreational Management Controls) Notice 2025, Beehive.govt.nz — Eastern Northland Rock Lobster Fishery Closed (March 2026), Boating NZ — Rock Lobster Closures Confirmed (December 2025).
⚠️ Fishing rules change regularly. Always check the latest rules at mpi.govt.nz or on the free NZ Fishing Rules App before you go fishing. Action Outdoors provides this information as a general guide only and takes no responsibility for any errors or changes to regulations after the publication date.

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