According to the information released by the Ministry of Fisheries the incident took place at about 11 pm on Thursday 10 February. An SUV vehicle with four males inside returning from the Wairarapa was stopped at a police checkpoint in Upper Hutt. While the driver of the vehicle was dealt with for breaches of the Transport Act, police discovered he was a banned fisher and dive gear in the vehicle.
At the check point the officer advised the occupants that he was detaining them under the Fisheries Act to search the vehicle. A total of 1275 paua were found in two large bags and a sack. Most of the paua were shucked (opened) and undersize. When police stop the vehicle one of the four people ran away from the vehicle and was not located.
Fishery Officers were called by police. The three remaining vehicle occupants were questioned at Upper Hutt Police station. Mike Green, Ministry of Fisheries Acting Regional Manager Central, said the seized paua was destined for the black market. The vehicle, paua and dive gear were seized. Dean Baigent, Acting Deputy Chief Executive Field Operations, said the Ministry is very focused on stopping fish thieves in their tracks.
