P¯aua poacher caught in sting ordered to forfeit dive gear

A Taranaki woman caught in a pa¯ua poaching sting has been ordered to forfeit dive gear used to gather the shellfish.

Nicole Joan Margaret Patterson appeared before Judge Gregory Hikaka in the New Plymouth District Court on Thursday charged with taking excess pa¯ua with the intention of obtaining a benefit.

The charges were laid by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) after being contacted by members of the public who spotted posts by Patterson on social media, between February 11 and March 5, 2019, offering fresh pa¯ ua for sale.

The summary of facts states the solo mother’s brother Ashley Barnett went out on multiple occasions during February and gathered pa¯ ua in the New Plymouth district from an unknown beach.

When fisheries officers searched the pair’s house they discovered 110 whole pa¯ ua, 92 of which were undersized, and a kilogram of shucked pa¯ ua in the fridge.

The daily limit is 10 per gatherer. Text data was obtained on the cellphone number listed in the Facebook ads by fisheries officers and texts relating to the sale of the shellfish were discovered.

The texts show the pa¯ua were offered at $25 per kilogram and the pair arranged to meet customers in the carpark of a local supermarket.

Barnett admitted the facts and told officers Patterson had arranged selling the pa¯ ua but he had assisted.

Patterson claimed she was giving pa¯ua away that her brother had given her.

Crown prosecutor Georgia Milne said MPI was seeking the forfeiture of dive gear used to gather the pa¯ ua, which was granted by the judge.

Defence lawyer Josie Mooney said Patterson was pregnant and the baby was due in January.

Hikaka remanded Patterson on bail, with no conditions, for sentencing on November 14, and ordered electronic options to be considered. The charge had a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and a fine not exceeding $250,000, or both. Barnett is due to be sentenced in the Whanganui District Court later this year.