Revolutionising Aquaculture in Te Hiku o Te Ika, Far North, Aotearoa New Zealand

Māui Inc. is a fledgling aquaculture venture focusing on collecting New Zealand's Green-lipped Mussel (‘GLM’) spat, sustainably and naturally through our new patent pending method. With an efficient and environmentally-friendly focus, we Māui Inc. aspires to help meet sector demand for reliable and resilient sources of GLM spat, which in turn will assist the sector to grow.

Innovation in Aquaculture

Leveraging the latest technology, we've developed a new method for collecting Mussel Spat.

Sustainable Practices

We strive to contribute to the future of food by minimising our environmental impacts and supporting the natural biodiversity in our location.

What is Māui Inc.?

In the serene landscapes of Ahipara, in the Far North of New Zealand, Aotearoa we have recognised an incredible opportunity to harness the natural resources in the pristine oceanic waters of Te Hiku. Our aquaculture farming endeavour focuses on capturing Mussel Spat, a vital resource for the Green-Lipped Mussel industry of New Zealand. We are committed to a low carbon footprint and a sustainable approach to aquaculture, ensuring that Tangaroa and Papatūānuku are top of mind. In fact, this trail blazing opportunity will not only elevate economic growth and workforce development for the region, but it will also demonstrate that aquaculture can be environmentally friendly.

Aquaculture Farming:

Te Oneroa-ā-Tōhē is where the majority of Mussel Spat is caught in New Zealand. At the heart of this initiative is the establishment of a state-of-the-art aquaculture farm, primarily dedicated to capturing Mussel Spat in an entirely different and innovative way. Known for their incredible nutritional value, these Mussels are a high-protein, low carbon footprint ‘blue food’ source, and our farm is geared to make them more accessible than ever.

Technical Expertise and Local Collaboration:

We are not alone in this journey, we’re committed to supporting the local supply chain to ensure we’re contributing to our local economy. We have engaged in technical expertise, that comes with a proven track record in the aquaculture industry, to ensure our farm installation is secure out there and won’t pose a hazard to the many and varied stakeholders of Te Oneroa-ā-Tōhē. Many locals to Ahipara were witness to the first stage of the Mussel Spat Farm being installed this Labour Weekend just gone.

Engagement & First Visibility:

Community optics are key to our project, across the many years in the lead up to this point, we’ve continually engaged with our three local marae here in Ahipara (Roma, Korou Kore and Wainui), Te Hiku Iwi (Te Rarawa, Ngāi Takoto and Te Aupōuri) and key stakeholders within the wider community of Te Hiku, to ensure our initiative aligns with the values and aspirations we ourselves strive to uphold. This has led to positive tautoko of ourselves and the operation, and we are excited to embark on this journey together.

On a final note:

In a world where sustainability is paramount, this aquaculture project in Ahipara, Northland, exemplifies what can be achieved with a forward-thinking, environmentally conscious, and community-oriented approach. By revolutionising the way Mussel Spat is captured, we aim to set a new standard for aquaculture, benefitting the local & national economies and the planet.

Stay tuned for updates on our website. We invite you to be part of this exciting blue economy initiative that celebrates the beauty and richness of Te Hiku o Te Ika and the potential of aquaculture here.

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Our Team

Who is Māui Inc.?

Patau Tepania

Co Founder & Farm Manager
Maureen Te Paa

Co Founder & Corporate Services
Carol Berghan

Chair

Baz Henare

Chief Strategy & Commercial Officer
Suzie Clark

Chief Science & Technology
Tui Te Paa

Chief of Operations & Communications
Martin Butler

Chief Executive Officer

Learn More About Our Team

Māui Inc

Fast Facts

Māui Inc. is a fledgling, Ahipara based, Aquaculture business that has developed (with patent pending), a unique environmentally sensitive technology to culture premium wild caught Mussel Spat.

Māui Inc. technology is able to reliably culture premium Green Lip Mussel Spat with high survivability rates compared with 5-10% of current industry benchmarks.
An 18ha marine Research Resource Consent, proximate to Ahipara, has recently been granted for exclusive Māui Inc. usage. The Research Resource Consent belongs inside the 200ha Marine Farm application also under our name.
The next 3-5 year period of investigation springboards off the successful earlier trials and will prove the viability of our innovative design and technology at a moderate operating scale.

The Mussel Spat initiative is innovative, a ‘first of its kind’ design, pooling the best of modern technology with our traditional understanding and intergenerational
knowledge of both Tangaroa and Papatūānuku.

Q&A Māui Inc. Mussel Spat farm, kei waho o Ahipara

Q1. What was the Barge doing in Ahipara over labour weekend and why was it there?

In 2022 the Northland Regional Council granted a research resource consent to a local Ahipara company, Māui Inc. for a Mussel Spat catching farm. The barge, which came from Picton, arrived for 3 days of mahi to help set up the farm, specifically the Cardinal Markers.

Q2. What are the yellow & black buoys for?

The buoys are called Cardinal Markers. Named after the cardinal parts of the compass; North, East, South and West. They are distinctive yellow and black colours with white lights. The Cardinal Markers (1) set out the farm boundary (2) provides navigational safety for boaties at night and (3) is a requirement from NRC.

Q3. What do the lights mean?

Cardinal Markers have flashing lights so that you can read them at night, between sunset and sunrise or at times of restricted visibility. They are essentially road signs on the water.

Q4. What are the orange buoys for?

These buoys play a crucial role in marking the end of each backbone, they indicate where the lines within the farm are.

Q5. Will my torpedo get caught up in the Mussel Spat catching farm structure?

The Mussel Spat farm is located 2km off shore. Most kontiki and torpedo, when the main line and leader are fully extended, will be 2000m in length (travelling in a straight line). The torpedo will not interfere with the farm and the farm will not disrupt your recreational fishing day.

Q6. Will the Mussel Spat farm be a hazard for boaties?

No, the co-ordinates of the farm are loaded into the marine navigational charts for this area.

Q7. So are you allowed inside the buoys?

For your safety and the safety of others, we would rather you not.

Q8. What happens if boats go inside the buoys?

You run the risk of your vessel getting caught up in the ropes. You will potentially damage your boat and/or your outboards. Not good for you, your boat or our farm.

Q9. Are we allowed to fish beside the farm?

Sure, just be mindful you don't drift into the farm structure.

Q10. Can we anchor to the Bouys if we fish beside the farm?

No, throw your anchor down away from the farm structures.

Q11. How much Mussel Spat is supplied to NZ from Te Hiku and how much will you guys supply?

80% of the Mussel Spat that supplies the GLM (Green Lipped Mussel) industry is collected from Te Oneroa-ā-Tōhē (90 Mile Beach). There is unprecedented demand for Mussel Spat such that the current collection volumes can't meet. The Māui Inc. Mussel Spat catching farm intends to boost the quantity of Mussel Spat to the industry, so Aotearoa can commercially grow more kūtai.

Q12. How is the Mussel Spat caught?

A. Ordinarily Mussel Spat will attach itself a host. Largely that host is seaweed, which is then cast ashore on certain tides & winds and collected before it is transported South to grow out on Mussel Farms. Māui Inc. intends to place an artificial host in the water column, and catch the Mussel Spat in the water.

Q13. Where are the Mussel Farms in NZ located?

Auckland 3%, Coromandel & Bay of Plenty 24%, Marlborough 59%, Tasman & Golden Bay 8%, Canterbury 2% & Southland 4%.

Q14. How is it eco-friendly & sustainable?

We are minimising the use of non-biodegradable materials throughout our operation, ie: we have engaged the use of Coir Rope on our devices, which is completely biodegradable. Any non-degradable materials will not be single use, we'll continue to recycle them through the farm operations.

Q15. Is it run by the Rūnanga?

No, Māui Inc. is a stand alone company, which is largely owned and run by hau kāinga to Te Hiku. We have a couple of pretty credible out of towners who bring their expertise and passion to the Māui Inc. team. Our Te Hiku Rūnanga-a-Iwi tautoko our venture.

Q16. Is there going to be Mussel farms in the North that will take your Mussel Spat?

We've had some exciting kōrero about future collaborative opportunities with existing Mussel farmers and Mussel farms looking to establish themselves in Te Hiku. We look forward to being able to add value to the wider Te Hiku aquaculture sector.

Q17. How long has it taken to get to this stage?

About 10yrs from ideation to the rubber hitting the road. There's been a tonne of round tables, hui and whakawhiti kōrero with a number of groups, people and organisations. With the Oct/Nov installation of the Mussel Spat catching farm, we are super excited that the concept is very quickly taking shape.

Q18. Will it have an impact on the jobs Mussel Spat collection have in this area?

No, Mussel Spat will still attach itself to seaweed and be cast upon the shoreline, the Māui Inc. farm is 18ha at this time. In time, Māui Inc. will grow the aquaculture workforce here in Te Hiku.

Q19. Will Māui Inc's farm flood the market and impact the livelihoods of Mussel Spat collectors up here?

No, even if the Māui Inc. farm was operating to its full capacity and the Mussel Spat pickers who collect from the beach, were collecting the same volumes + a 2nd Mussel Spat catching farm is established in the Whāngāpē Harbour, the volumes captured/collected by us all still won't be enough to meet the current demand.

Q20. How do you know that?

There are Mussel farms all over NZ that aren't growing Mussels to their full capacity of consented farm space. There are thousands of hectares of undeveloped ocean space, due to the unpredictable supply of Wild Spat. Māui Inc. caught Mussel Spat can provide some relief in that respect, by providing more volume than what's currently available. Tangaroa and Hinemoana will determine how much Mussel Spat is caught/collected at any given time, that is one of the constraints of the environment we work in.

Q21. What is blue food?

Animals, plants, and algae harvested from freshwater and marine environments. Mussels have a very low carbon footprint.

Q22. What is a blue economy?

An economic system or sector that seeks to conserve marine and freshwater environments while using them in a sustainable way to develop economic growth and produce resources such as energy and food. Te Hiku is surrounded by precious ocean. Māui Inc. is looking to harness some of the bounty of the natural resource within it to grow out on Mussel farms throughout the country. Top of mind for us is having low to minimal impact, whilst building intergenerational wealth for our whānau, hapū, Iwi and wider community.

Q23. Is this venture going to see skill imported into the region to make this thing work?

Patau Tepania is Chief of Operations for Māui Inc. Patau will head up our on water operations and is an extremely experienced fisherman of many years to these waters, Patau's whakapapa is his connect here. The priority is to grow and develop the homegrown talent we have right here, however there will be times we need to lean on external expertise ie: the barge crew of MSNZ who installed the screw anchors for the farm recently.

Q24. Are we going to see more commercial vehicles on the beach?

No more than what is currently utilising the beach.