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Āhua rangi — Current conditions

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°C

Air temp

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km/h

Wind

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mm/hr

Rain

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index

Moana — Sea conditions

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°C

Sea surface temp

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Wave height

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Swell height

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km/h

Ocean current

Āpōpō — Forecast today

Wai Ora — Water Quality (E. coli)

For current E. coli and swimming safety, check safeswim.org.nz — Auckland Council updates this daily. No public API is available for direct integration.

Open Safeswim → Ōrākei

Maramataka

Māori lunar calendar — 29 nights

☀ Sunrise: – ☽ Sunset: –

Maramataka literally means te marama e taka ana — the turning of the moon. It is the traditional Māori lunar calendar, used to guide fishing, planting, harvesting, and daily life for hundreds of generations.

Rather than fixed months, the Maramataka follows the moon through 29.53-day cycles, with each night (pō) carrying a name, a character, and guidance for how to spend the day. Our tūpuna developed this knowledge through close observation of the natural world.

Ngā tohu — Signs to observe

The Maramataka is read through three sets of signs:
🌟 Tohu o te rangi — Sky: stars, clouds, wind direction, the behaviour of birds
🌊 Tohu o te moana — Sea: tides, currents, fish behaviour, sea temperature
🌿 Tohu o te whenua — Land: flowering plants, insects, soil moisture, animal signs

Ngā wā — Two seasons

🌨 Hōtoke (Winter): Wero i te Ninihi, Wero i te Kokota, Whakataka, Takurua — rest, prepare, store food.
☀ Raumati (Summer): 7 phases — Matiti Kura through Matiti Rauangina — guided by flowering plants, ripening fruit, and the harvest stars.

Ngā pae pūngao — Four energy phases

🌕 Pae Kaha

High energy. Rākaunui nights. Best for big decisions, special occasions, major harvests.

🌊 Pae Tangaroa

Surging energy. Sea god nights. Excellent for fishing, sea harvesting, completing chores.

🌱 Pae Ara

Building energy. Planting, growing, starting new projects. Good for motivation.

⚡ Pae Tamatea

Unpredictable. Avoid big decisions. Patience required. Take care on the water.

🌑 Pae Iti

Low energy. Whiro and waning nights. Rest, reflect, plan for the next cycle.

🌑 Tapu

Sacred nights. Atua and Korekore. Avoid all harvesting. Observe and restore.

Regional variations exist. Tāmaki (east coast) aligns Rākaunui with the full moon. Sources: Elsdon Best (1918), Māori Language Commission, Ayla Hoeta / Rereata Mākiha (The Spinoff), Te Papa Tongarewa.

🌕

Pō – o te marama

He kōrero tīpuna — Traditional knowledge

🌊 Tāmaki / Waitematā tonight

💡 Ārahitanga — Today's guidance

Rā me ngā whetū — Sun & Stars

☀ Te ara o te Rā — Sun path today (Tāmaki)

⭐ Ngā whetū o Tāmaki — Stars guiding the month

Marama katoa — This lunar month

Korowai — Coast calibration

East coast (Waitematā): Rākaunui set on the full moon night. Source: Ayla Hoeta / Rereata Mākiha dial method.

Maramataka matarā — Dial

Ngā tae — Colour key

Prof. Rangi Mātāmua (Tūhoe) — pioneering Māori astronomer — teaches that the maramataka operates on three layers working together:

Ngā papa e toru — Three foundations

⭐ Whetū (Stars) — govern the months. Each month is named after the star that rises on the eastern horizon before sunrise that month. "Without exception, stars were the ariki (controllers) of the months."
🌕 Marama (Moon) — governs the individual nights within each month. The 29 named nights from Whiro to Mutuwhenua.
☀ Rā (Sun) — its position on the horizon tells us the season. Six cooler seasons (hōtoke) and seven warmer seasons (raumati) — not four European seasons, but thirteen.

"Mā ngā whetū o te marama o te tau e tohu, ā, mā ngā mata o te marama ngā rā e tohu." — Rangi Mātāmua
The stars of the months are a guide; the phases of the moon inform the days.

🌊 Tāmaki — Which star for the New Year?

Waitematā (east) side: Matariki (Pleiades) is the New Year star. It rises during the Tangaroa phase of Pipiri (June/July). The best time to observe it from Tāmaki is in Hōngoingoi (July) on the Ōturu night — one night before the full moon — when the horizon is clear and the moon has not yet risen to wash out the stars.

Manukau (west) side: Pūanga (Rigel) is used by Tainui, Kawhia, Ngāpuhi and west coast iwi in Tāmaki. It is brighter from the western horizon and rises slightly earlier than Matariki.

📅 Why the dates shift each year

The Maramataka year has only 354 nights (12 × 29.5) — 11 days shorter than the Gregorian solar year. Every three years an intercalary month called Ruhanui is added (33 days) to realign the lunar cycle with the solar year and the rising of the stars. This is why the dial must be reset each lunar cycle and why Matariki and the New Year do not fall on the same Gregorian date each year.

Ngā marama tekau mā rua — The 12 months

Sources: Elsdon Best (1918) · Māori Language Commission · Ayla Hoeta / Rereata Mākiha (The Spinoff, 2018) · Prof. Rangi Mātāmua — Living by the Stars, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa · East/west coast calibration: Te Papa Tongarewa. Tāmaki practices guided by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei / Tainui traditions.

Kōrero tīpuna — Elder observation

Ko wai koe — Your name

Āhua o te rangi — Sky conditions

Āhua o te moana — Sea conditions

Kōrero tāpiri — Additional notes

Kua tāpiritia tō kōrero. Tēnā koe!

Kaimoana

Stock Assessment · Waitematā survey — Aperira 2026

Tāmure

Snapper

Low

Kōura

Crayfish

Critical

Pātiki

Flounder

Stable

Kina

Sea urchin

Declining

Tio

Rock oyster

Critical

Kūtai

Mussel

Critical

Ture hao ika — Catch limits & size minimums

Recreational limits per person per day — Source: Fisheries NZ

Species	Min. size	Daily limit
Tāmure Snapper	30 cm	10
Kōura Rock lobster	54 mm tail	6
Pātiki Flounder	25 cm	20
Kina Sea urchin	—	50
Tio Rock oyster	58 mm	50
Kūtai Mussel	—	50
Kahawai	25 cm	20
Araara Trevally	25 cm	20
Haku Kingfish	60 cm	3
Pāua Abalone	125 mm	10
Tupa Scallop	100 mm	20

Customary fishing under R50/R51 may differ — check your permit conditions.

⚠ Waitemata HPA

No recreational fishing inside the Rangitoto/Motutapu High Protection Area (from 25 Oct 2025). Customary harvesting with valid R50/R51 permit and DOC authorisation only.

Tāpiri kitenga — Log a sighting

Kaimoana momo — Species

Nui — Abundance

Wāhi — Location

Kua tāpiritia tō kitenga. Tēnā koe!

Mahere

Tikapa Moana / Hauraki Gulf — Marine Protection Areas

Wāhi Tapu HPA SPA Reserve Monitoring

Wāhi Tapu

HPA

SPA

Reserve

Monitoring

Wāhi Tapu — Sacred Ancestral Sites

Ōrākei, Bastion Point, Rangitoto, Motutapu, Māngere, Kaipara Portage

!Sacred ancestral sites of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and mana whenua

!Areas of deep cultural, spiritual and historical significance

✓Treat with utmost respect — approach kaumātua for guidance

High Protection Areas (HPA) — 12 zones

Rangitoto/Motutapu, Kawau Bay, Motukawao, Cape Colville, Mokohinau Islands + more

✗No recreational or commercial fishing of any kind

✗No taking of kaimoana (shellfish, fish, seaweed)

✓Customary fishing with valid R50/R51 permit and DOC authorisation

✓Swimming, kayaking, snorkelling and careful anchoring allowed

✓Limited ring-net (kahawai, mullet, trevally) Mar–Aug for pre-approved operators

Seafloor Protection Areas (SPA) — 5 zones

Kawau Bay, Cape Colville, Mokohinau, Hauraki Plains, Aldermen Islands

✗No bottom trawling, dredging or Danish seining

✓Line fishing, spear fishing, diving and hand harvesting allowed

✓Protects seagrass beds, shellfish and seafloor habitats

Marine Reserve Extensions — 2 zones

Goat Island / Te Hawere a Maki • Cathedral Cove / Te Whanganui-o-Hei

✗Full no-take marine reserve — no fishing, collecting or disturbance

✗Extensions of existing reserves under the 2025 Act

✓Non-extractive recreation permitted

Monitoring Stations

Waitematā Harbour, Rangitoto Channel, Ōkahu Bay, Hobson Bay, Harbour entrance

✓Active sensor network — water quality, temperature, E. coli

✓Real-time data feeds to Wai tab

✓Community reporting via Oranga tab

Ngā tohutoro — Key resources

→ DOC marine protected areas map → Download GPS boundary files → Apply for customary permit: Raihana tab

Oranga Moana

Biosecurity — Invasive species watch

Mediterranean fanworm

Sabella spallanzanii

High risk · 3 reports

Asian paddle crab

Charybdis japonica

High risk · 1 report

Wakame seaweed

Undaria pinnatifida

Medium · monitored

Exotic Caulerpa

Caulerpa taxifolia

Gulf alert active

Pūrongo hou — Recent reports

Fanworm colony — Ōkahu Bay pontoon

K. Parata · 28 Mar · Sent to Council + MPI

Possible Caulerpa — Westhaven marina

T. Hauraki · 22 Mar · Under investigation

Hull fouling check — 14 vessels cleared

Ōrākei marina · 19 Mar · No pests detected

Ripoata hou — Report an incident

Momo mea tūkino — Pest type

Wāhi kitea — Location found

Kōrero — Notes

Kua tukuna ki a Kaunihera me MPI. Tēnā koe!

Mauri o te Moana

Framework authored by Dr Kepa Morgan BE, MBA, PhD, DistFEngNZ

Used with acknowledgement

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Mauri Noho — Languishing

🔴 Mauri Mate — Diminishing

🟢 Mauri Ora — Enhancing

🟠 Mauri Noho — Languishing

🟡 Mauri Tū — Thriving

Ngā pou whā — Four dimensions

Taiao — Environmental

Ecosystem health

Water quality (E. coli)

Dissolved oxygen

Turbidity / sediment

Kūtai reef presence

Seabird diversity

Native riparian veg

Hapū — Cultural

Identity & ancestral connection

Wānanga frequency

Kaumātua engagement

Te reo in kaitiakitanga

Rāhui practice observed

Waka ama active

Access to mahinga kai

Hapori — Social

Community health & cohesion

Rangatahi participation

Marae programmes active

Harbour swimming safety

Whānau food security

Kaitiaki training hours

Whānau — Economic

Family-level sustainability

Customary harvest income

Rangatahi employment

Kaimoana for marae

Nursery seedling production

Hītori mauri — 12-month trend

Waitematā Harbour · Apr 2025 – May 2026

Recovery trending upward from Jan 2026 with active riparian planting and wai monitoring.

Raihana Hao Ika

Customary Fishing Permits — Reg. 50 & 51

Fisheries (Amateur Fishing) Regulations 2013

Enter your name to access your permit records.

Ingoa — Your name

Marae

–

Apply

My permits

Report

Harvest Log

Submit your application below. It will show as Pending until the authorised marae representative reviews and issues a permit number.

1Permit type & date

Auth type

Applied date

2Kaupapa — Reason & purpose

This is the legal basis for the permit and may be shown to Fishery Officers.

3Applicant details

Ingoa — Your name

Imera — Email

Your phone

Rep phone

Wāhi noho — Address

All harvesters (one per line)

4Event details

Venue

Date from

Date to

On behalf of

5Species & harvest requested

Species	Max no.	Area	Landing

Size limit

Method

Kua tukuna tō tono. Tēnā koe!

Āhua rangi — Current conditions

Moana — Sea conditions

Āpōpō — Forecast today

Maramataka

Rā me ngā whetū — Sun & Stars

Marama katoa — This lunar month

Maramataka matarā — Dial

Kōrero tīpuna — Elder observation

Kaimoana

Ture hao ika — Catch limits & size minimums

Tāpiri kitenga — Log a sighting

Mahere

Ngā tohutoro — Key resources

Oranga Moana

Pūrongo hou — Recent reports

Ripoata hou — Report an incident

Mauri o te Moana

Ngā pou whā — Four dimensions

Hītori mauri — 12-month trend

Raihana Hao Ika

Pūrongo ā-Marama — Monthly Report

Tāpiri hou — Log a harvest

Kaimoana harvested

Manual Application Entry

Species & quantities