Visit Whitebait fishing regulations for general whitebaiting guidelines and information about regulations.
What are whitebait?
This factsheet provides an overview of what whitebait are, their lifecycle, and how you can protect them and their habitats.
Help whitebait thrive
Whitebaiting is a classic Kiwi past time that gets people outdoors with whanau and friends.
This factsheet provides an overview of how you can protect whitebait and their habitats.
Find out what you can do to help sustain the future whitebait fishery.
Whitebait and how you can help
Biosecurity for whitebaiters
Moving between waterways has the potential to spread freshwater pests such as gold clam, didymo, and lindavia (lake snow), that can clog nets and choke waterways, including whitebait habitats. Protect New Zealand’s waterways by following:
- South Island Check Clean Dry for whitebaiters and powerboat users (PDF, 304K)
- North Island Check Clean Dry for whitebaiters (PDF, 288K)
Conversations with whitebaiters
Whitebaiting is regarded by some as a cultural taonga. In 2023, DOC collected whitebaiter memories from across the country to help understand the human face of the whitebait fishery.
These oral histories record 21 different whitebaiters reminiscing about the reasons they bait, where they do it and how their families have been involved over the generations.
These oral recordings and transcripts are available for research purposes, contact whitebait@doc.govt.nz for further information.
Perceptions of Aotearoa New Zealand whitebait fishery
These reports record whitebaiters describing themselves and their fishing experience. They include why and where they fish, what gear they use, and what impacts the recent regulation changes have had on their fishing. The data collected will help identify the issues of most concern to whitebaiters and inform future whitebait fishing practices.
- Perceptions of Aotearoa New Zealand whitebait fishery 2025 (PDF, 5,093K)
- Perceptions of Aotearoa New Zealand whitebait fishery 2022 (PDF, 9,269K)
Contacts
Contact your local DOC office for more information or email whitebait@doc.govt.nz.