Puye

Habitat Distribution

• Native to New Zealand, including the Chatham Islands — one of the most widely distributed freshwater fish in the Southern Hemisphere.
• Adults occupy still or slow-moving water in the lower reaches of coastal streams, river mouths, lagoon edges, and estuaries — not a fast-water fish once past its juvenile stage.
• Found throughout both the North and South Islands wherever coastal streams connect to the sea; the diadromous (sea-run) population depends on that coastal corridor.
• Tolerates a wide salinity range, surviving in brackish and even full marine conditions during its larval phase at sea.

Key Locations

• West Coast of the South Island — historically the most productive whitebait rivers in New Zealand, with numerous small coastal streams producing strong spring runs.
• Chatham Islands — inanga are present and form part of the local fishery in this remote territory.
• Coastal streams throughout Southland, Otago, and the Marlborough Sounds — wherever short, low-gradient rivers meet the sea.
• North Island river mouths from Northland to the Wairarapa coast support runs, though South Island rivers are generally better known for whitebait volume.

Specific Spots

• Spawning adults concentrate on fringing vegetation at estuary edges during high spring tides in autumn — the eggs are laid out of water on grass and rushes, not in the stream itself.
• Returning whitebait juveniles funnel through the narrowest points of river mouths and tidal channels in spring, which is where whitebaiters set their nets and stands.
• Adult fish hold in slow pools and backwaters close to the river mouth, rarely moving far upstream — focus effort within the tidal reach.