Pāua is the Māori name for a species of large sea snail. Pāua are a shellfish whose soft flesh can be eaten. The inside of their shell is beautifully rainbow-coloured, and often used to create jewellery. Pāua grow larger in the cool waters of the South Island than they do in the north. In New Zealand, we strictly limit how many pāua can be taken from the ocean by people (10 per day per person) or companies.