colours change from green in juveniles to green/grey and through to blue/grey in large adults. Geographic distribution Natural global range Past research has found that blue moki are an endemic species to New Zealand, but more recent resources suggest that blue moki distribution patterns are more widespread, with sighting of the species occurring off Tasmania and New South Wales. New Zealand range Blue moki are widespread throughout New Zealand. They are distributed from the Kermadec Islands to the Auckland Islands down to Stewart Island, and abundant off the east coast; they have also been recorded in the Chatham Islands. The population of blue moki on the west coast is uncertain, but there have been small commercial hauls taken off shore from New Plymouth and Greymouth. Australian range Blue moki are rare in Australia but have been recorded from immediately south of Botany Bay near Sydney and from Tasmania. Habitat Blue moki are found in the continental shelf north south of the Chatham islands in depths of 10–200 metres. Many adults take part in an annual migration between Kaikoura and East Cape. Juvenile blue moki are then found inshore in coastal rocky reefs; whereas adults tend to school offshore over open bottom areas. There are some adults that tend to remain on coastal reefs in shallower waters. Juvenile blue moki have been observed to prefer rocky-reef type habitats in shallow waters, most of the adult blue moki school offshore on sandy open bottom habitats but some adult blue moki do not join the schools and stay in the rocky-reef type habitats. Lifecycle and phenology Blue moki grow at a rapid rate growing between 5–6 centimetres per year, growth potentially slows with fish between the age of 10–20 years reaching 60 centimetres and there have also been fish recorded at 33 years of age with them being over 80 centimetres long. Blue moki can weigh up to 10 kg. The blue moki reach sexual maturity at 40 centimetres which equates to 5–6 years of age. Migration occurs annually. It begins in May/June (Winter) when blue moki begin to travel from Kaikoura on the East Coast on the South Island up to the only known spawning ground for blue moki in New Zealand, which is in the Māhia Peninsula to the East Cape region. Spawning occurs from August to September. They then pass back by Kaikoura in October. The larvae period of the