A rāhui tapū has been placed over the Hauraki Gulf and much of north Auckland’s east coast, as concerns grow for diminishing tipa (scallop) numbers.

The rāhui tapū (ban of an area or resource) was laid by Ngāti Manuhiri kaumatua at a dawn ceremony at Tāwharanui Regional Park on Waitangi Day.

The trust's chief executive, Nicola MacDonald, said the scallop beds had been taking a hammering and the rāhui, which will be put in place on Waitangi Day, would help restore the taonga for future generations.

"Our scallop beds which are in and around Te Hauturu-o-Toi, Kawau Island, Omaha and parts of Mahurangi are in such a state of deprivation that we don't believe the shellfish can recover."

"A rāhui acts as a korowai, cloak, of protection and says to all communities taihoa, let's stop, let's allow the natural world to recover. Let's respect this for a period of time until we see the regeneration and when it does regenerate, let's work with our mana whenua until we have sustainable fisheries."