A Coromandel family is claiming the right to manage customary fisheries around the Kermadec Islands.
Three tangata kaitiaki have been put up by Te Whanau o Hamiora Mangakahia to administer the Kaimoana Customary Fisheries Regulations.
The area they will cover includes a small stretch of the Coromandel coast taking in Whangapoua and Matarangi beaches, and extending seaward to include the Mercury and Red Mercury Islands, Cuvier Island, and the Kermadec group 800km to the northeast of New Zealand.
Whanau spokesperson Shena Christian says the whanau has evidence of fishing expeditions to the islands, but she won't say what species were targeted.
