Terms of Service

TERMS OF SERVICE

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OVERVIEW

This website is operated by Arapawa Blue Pearls. Throughout the site, the terms “we”, “us” and “our” refer to Arapawa Blue Pearls. Arapawa Blue Pearls offers this website, including all information, tools and services available from this site to you, the user, conditioned upon your acceptance of all terms, conditions, policies and notices stated here.

By visiting our site and/ or purchasing something from us, you engage in our “Service” and agree to be bound by the following terms and conditions (“Terms of Service”, “Terms”), including those additional terms and conditions and policies referenced herein and/or available by hyperlink. These Terms of Service apply to all users of the site, including without limitation users who are browsers, vendors, customers, merchants, and/ or contributors of content.

Please read these Terms of Service carefully before accessing or using our website. By accessing or using any part of the site, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to all the terms and conditions of this agreement, then you may not access the website or use any services. If these Terms of Service are considered an offer, acceptance is expressly limited to these Terms of Service.

Any new features or tools which are added to the current store shall also be subject to the Terms of Service. You can review the most current version of the Terms of Service at any time on this page. We reserve the right to update, change or replace any part of these Terms of Service by posting updates and/or changes to our website. It is your responsibility to check this page periodically for changes. Your continued use of or access to the website following the posting of any changes constitutes acceptance of those changes.

Our store is hosted on Shopify Inc. They provide us with the online e-commerce platform that allows us to sell our products and services to you.

SECTION 1 - ONLINE STORE TERMS

By agreeing to these Terms of Service, you represent that you are at least the age of majority in your state or province of residence, or that you are the age of majority in your state or province of residence and you have given us your consent to allow any of your minor dependents to use this site.
You may not use our products for any illegal or unauthorized purpose nor may you, in the use of the Service, violate any laws in your jurisdiction (including but not limited to copyright laws).
You must not transmit any worms or viruses or any code of a destructive nature.
A breach or violation of any of the Terms will result in an immediate termination of your Services.

SECTION 2 - GENERAL CONDITIONS

We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason at any time.
You understand that your content (not including credit card information), may be transferred unencrypted and involve (a) transmissions over various networks; and (b) changes to conform and adapt to technical requirements of connecting networks or devices. Credit card information is always encrypted during transfer over networks.
You agree not to reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, resell or exploit any portion of the Service, use of the Service, or access to the Service or any contact on the website through which the service is provided, without express written permission by us.
The headings used in this agreement are included for convenience only and will not limit or otherwise affect these Terms.

SECTION 3 - ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS AND TIMELINESS OF INFORMATION

We are not responsible if information made available on this site is not accurate, complete or current. The material on this site is provided for general information only and should not be relied upon or used as the sole basis for making decisions without consulting primary, more accurate, more complete or more timely sources of information. Any reliance on the material on this site is at your own risk.
This site may contain certain historical information. Historical information, necessarily, is not current and is provided for your reference only. We reserve the right to modify the contents of this site at any time, but we have no obligation to update any information on our site. You agree that it is your responsibility to monitor changes to our site.

SECTION 4 - MODIFICATIONS TO THE SERVICE AND PRICES

Prices for our products are subject to change without notice.
We reserve the right at any time to modify or discontinue the Service (or any part or content thereof) without notice at any time.
We shall not be liable to you or to any third-party for any modification, price change, suspension or discontinuance of the Service.

SECTION 5 - PRODUCTS OR SERVICES (if applicable)

Certain products or services may be available exclusively online through the website. These products or services may have limited quantities and are subject to return or exchange only according to our Return Policy.
We have made every effort to display as accurately as possible the colors and images of our products that appear at the store. We cannot guarantee that your computer monitor's display of any color will be accurate.
We reserve the right, but are not obligated, to limit the sales of our products or Services to any person, geographic region or jurisdiction. We may exercise this right on a case-by-case basis. We reserve the right to limit the quantities of any products or services that we offer. All descriptions of products or product pricing are subject to change at anytime without notice, at the sole discretion of us. We reserve the right to discontinue any product at any time. Any offer for any product or service made on this site is void where prohibited.
We do not warrant that the quality of any products, services, information, or other material purchased or obtained by you will meet your expectations, or that any errors in the Service will be corrected.

SECTION 6 - ACCURACY OF BILLING AND ACCOUNT INFORMATION

We reserve the right to refuse any order you place with us. We may, in our sole discretion, limit or cancel quantities purchased per person, per household or per order. These restrictions may include orders placed by or under the same customer account, the same credit card, and/or orders that use the same billing and/or shipping address. In the event that we make a change to or cancel an order, we may attempt to notify you by contacting the e-mail and/or billing address/phone number provided at the time the order was made. We reserve the right to limit or prohibit orders that, in our sole judgment, appear to be placed by dealers, resellers or distributors.

You agree to provide current, complete and accurate purchase and account information for all purchases made at our store. You agree to promptly update your account and other information, including your email address and credit card numbers and expiration dates, so that we can complete your transactions and contact you as needed.

For more detail, please review our Returns Policy.

SECTION 7 - OPTIONAL TOOLS

We may provide you with access to third-party tools over which we neither monitor nor have any control nor input.
You acknowledge and agree that we provide access to such tools ”as is” and “as available” without any warranties, representations or conditions of any kind and without any endorsement. We shall have no liability whatsoever arising from or relating to your use of optional third-party tools.
Any use by you of optional tools offered through the site is entirely at your own risk and discretion and you should ensure that you are familiar with and approve of the terms on which tools are provided by the relevant third-party provider(s).
We may also, in the future, offer new services and/or features through the website (including, the release of new tools and resources). Such new features and/or services shall also be subject to these Terms of Service.

SECTION 8 - THIRD-PARTY LINKS

Certain content, products and services available via our Service may include materials from third-parties.
Third-party links on this site may direct you to third-party websites that are not affiliated with us. We are not responsible for examining or evaluating the content or accuracy and we do not warrant and will not have any liability or responsibility for any third-party materials or websites, or for any other materials, products, or services of third-parties.
We are not liable for any harm or damages related to the purchase or use of goods, services, resources, content, or any other transactions made in connection with any third-party websites. Please review carefully the third-party's policies and practices and make sure you understand them before you engage in any transaction. Complaints, claims, concerns, or questions regarding third-party products should be directed to the third-party.

SECTION 9 - USER COMMENTS, FEEDBACK AND OTHER SUBMISSIONS

If, at our request, you send certain specific submissions (for example contest entries) or without a request from us you send creative ideas, suggestions, proposals, plans, or other materials, whether online, by email, by postal mail, or otherwise (collectively, 'comments'), you agree that we may, at any time, without restriction, edit, copy, publish, distribute, translate and otherwise use in any medium any comments that you forward to us. We are and shall be under no obligation (1) to maintain any comments in confidence; (2) to pay compensation for any comments; or (3) to respond to any comments.
We may, but have no obligation to, monitor, edit or remove content that we determine in our sole discretion are unlawful, offensive, threatening, libelous, defamatory, pornographic, obscene or otherwise objectionable or violates any party’s intellectual property or these Terms of Service.
You agree that your comments will not violate any right of any third-party, including copyright, trademark, privacy, personality or other personal or proprietary right. You further agree that your comments will not contain libelous or otherwise unlawful, abusive or obscene material, or contain any computer virus or other malware that could in any way affect the operation of the Service or any related website. You may not use a false e-mail address, pretend to be someone other than yourself, or otherwise mislead us or third-parties as to the origin of any comments. You are solely responsible for any comments you make and their accuracy. We take no responsibility and assume no liability for any comments posted by you or any third-party.

SECTION 10 - PERSONAL INFORMATION

Your submission of personal information through the store is governed by our Privacy Policy. To view our Privacy Policy.

SECTION 11 - ERRORS, INACCURACIES AND OMISSIONS

Occasionally there may be information on our site or in the Service that contains typographical errors, inaccuracies or omissions that may relate to product descriptions, pricing, promotions, offers, product shipping charges, transit times and availability. We reserve the right to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions, and to change or update information or cancel orders if any information in the Service or on any related website is inaccurate at any time without prior notice (including after you have submitted your order).
We undertake no obligation to update, amend or clarify information in the Service or on any related website, including without limitation, pricing information, except as required by law. No specified update or refresh date applied in the Service or on any related website, should be taken to indicate that all information in the Service or on any related website has been modified or updated.

SECTION 12 - PROHIBITED USES

In addition to other prohibitions as set forth in the Terms of Service, you are prohibited from using the site or its content: (a) for any unlawful purpose; (b) to solicit others to perform or participate in any unlawful acts; (c) to violate any international, federal, provincial or state regulations, rules, laws, or local ordinances; (d) to infringe upon or violate our intellectual property rights or the intellectual property rights of others; (e) to harass, abuse, insult, harm, defame, slander, disparage, intimidate, or discriminate based on gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, race, age, national origin, or disability; (f) to submit false or misleading information; (g) to upload or transmit viruses or any other type of malicious code that will or may be used in any way that will affect the functionality or operation of the Service or of any related website, other websites, or the Internet; (h) to collect or track the personal information of others; (i) to spam, phish, pharm, pretext, spider, crawl, or scrape; (j) for any obscene or immoral purpose; or (k) to interfere with or circumvent the security features of the Service or any related website, other websites, or the Internet. We reserve the right to terminate your use of the Service or any related website for violating any of the prohibited uses.

SECTION 13 - DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES; LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

We do not guarantee, represent or warrant that your use of our service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure or error-free.
We do not warrant that the results that may be obtained from the use of the service will be accurate or reliable.
You agree that from time to time we may remove the service for indefinite periods of time or cancel the service at any time, without notice to you.
You expressly agree that your use of, or inability to use, the service is at your sole risk. The service and all products and services delivered to you through the service are (except as expressly stated by us) provided 'as is' and 'as available' for your use, without any representation, warranties or conditions of any kind, either express or implied, including all implied warranties or conditions of merchantability, merchantable quality, fitness for a particular purpose, durability, title, and non-infringement.
In no case shall Arapawa Blue Pearls, our directors, officers, employees, affiliates, agents, contractors, interns, suppliers, service providers or licensors be liable for any injury, loss, claim, or any direct, indirect, incidental, punitive, special, or consequential damages of any kind, including, without limitation lost profits, lost revenue, lost savings, loss of data, replacement costs, or any similar damages, whether based in contract, tort (including negligence), strict liability or otherwise, arising from your use of any of the service or any products procured using the service, or for any other claim related in any way to your use of the service or any product, including, but not limited to, any errors or omissions in any content, or any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of the service or any content (or product) posted, transmitted, or otherwise made available via the service, even if advised of their possibility. Because some states or jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or the limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, in such states or jurisdictions, our liability shall be limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.

SECTION 14 - INDEMNIFICATION

You agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless Arapawa Blue Pearls and our parent, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners, officers, directors, agents, contractors, licensors, service providers, subcontractors, suppliers, interns and employees, harmless from any claim or demand, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, made by any third-party due to or arising out of your breach of these Terms of Service or the documents they incorporate by reference, or your violation of any law or the rights of a third-party.

SECTION 15 - SEVERABILITY

In the event that any provision of these Terms of Service is determined to be unlawful, void or unenforceable, such provision shall nonetheless be enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, and the unenforceable portion shall be deemed to be severed from these Terms of Service, such determination shall not affect the validity and enforceability of any other remaining provisions.

SECTION 16 - TERMINATION

The obligations and liabilities of the parties incurred prior to the termination date shall survive the termination of this agreement for all purposes.
These Terms of Service are effective unless and until terminated by either you or us. You may terminate these Terms of Service at any time by notifying us that you no longer wish to use our Services, or when you cease using our site.
If in our sole judgment you fail, or we suspect that you have failed, to comply with any term or provision of these Terms of Service, we also may terminate this agreement at any time without notice and you will remain liable for all amounts due up to and including the date of termination; and/or accordingly may deny you access to our Services (or any part thereof).

SECTION 17 - ENTIRE AGREEMENT

The failure of us to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms of Service shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.
These Terms of Service and any policies or operating rules posted by us on this site or in respect to The Service constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between you and us and govern your use of the Service, superseding any prior or contemporaneous agreements, communications and proposals, whether oral or written, between you and us (including, but not limited to, any prior versions of the Terms of Service).
Any ambiguities in the interpretation of these Terms of Service shall not be construed against the drafting party.


SECTION 19 - CHANGES TO TERMS OF SERVICE

You can review the most current version of the Terms of Service at any time at this page.
We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to update, change or replace any part of these Terms of Service by posting updates and changes to our website. It is your responsibility to check our website periodically for changes. Your continued use of or access to our website or the Service following the posting of any changes to these Terms of Service constitutes acceptance of those changes.

SECTION 20 - CONTACT INFORMATION

Questions about the Terms of Service should be sent to us at info@arapawabluepearls.co.nz.


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Our Story: Why Pāua Matter

Here on Arapaoa Island, where the Cook Strait's wild currents meet the Marlborough Sounds, our family has fallen in love with one of New Zealand's most precious creatures, the pāua (abalone).

These beautiful shellfish aren't just seafood. They're a taonga (treasure) that connects us to the ocean, and to future generations. But they're in trouble.

Coastal development is destroying their homes. And in the wild, only one baby pāua in 20 million survives to adulthood.

We couldn't just watch them disappear.

What Makes Us Different: The Guardians

Arapawa Blue Pearls is the first and only pāua farm in New Zealand to ever undertake this intensive reseeding mission. No other commercial pāua farm has done what we do, raising babies specifically to return them to the wild, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

For 25 years, we've been pioneering something that didn't exist before: a pāua farm that's as much about conservation as it is about harvest. We're proving that commercial operations can heal the ocean, not just take from it.

The Kaikoura Earthquake: When Nature Called for Help

In 2016, a massive earthquake lifted Kaikoura's seabed by up to six metres. In minutes, millions of pāua were exposed and died. Entire populations were wiped out. The coastline looked like a graveyard.
We knew we had to act.

We immediately focused our reseeding efforts on Kaikoura's devastated coastline. Tank by tank, release by release, we helped bring life back to those broken reefs.

Today, it's a joy to see pāua thriving again in Kaikoura. Where there was once devastation, there's now hope. It's proof that what we do works, and that nature can recover when we give it a helping hand.

How We Do It: Creating a Model for Others to Follow

Step 1: The Nursery Never Sleeps

We start with a handful of adult pāua. These parents are precious; we handle them like newborns because their soft bodies are so delicate.

When they spawn, magic happens. Within 24 hours, hundreds of thousands of tiny pāua begin their journey. And from that moment, someone is watching over them every single day and night.

Step 2: Growing Strong
We feed them seaweed and watch them grow. You should see feeding time, they can actually smell the seaweed coming and get so excited!
Christmas Day, stormy nights, family birthdays, we're always here. Because missing even one day could mean losing thousands of future pāua.

Step 3: Back to the Ocean

At eight months old, when they're about the size of your fingernail (10-15mm), our pāua graduates are ready. The strongest are released into the wild, carrying the future of their species with them.

In our nursery, we've increased their survival rate. Instead of one in 20 million, thousands make it to their teenage years.

The Impact: Proven Results Over 25 Years

Our pioneering approach shows in real, measurable ways:

  • Wild pāua populations at 25-year highs in our region
  • Catches more than doubled while populations grow stronger
  • Kaikoura's coastline restored after near-total destruction
  • Larger, healthier pāua throughout the Marlborough Sounds
  • A replicable model that other farms could adopt

Each young pāua we release helps:

  • Rebuild populations devastated by earthquakes and warming seas
  • Restore balance to rocky reef ecosystems
  • Support sustainable fishing by ensuring healthy stocks
  • Preserve Māori heritage and kaimoana traditions
  • Create resilience against future disasters

Our Vision: A Network of Reseeding Farms

We dream of a future where we're not alone in this work. Imagine if every region had a pāua farm dedicated to reseeding. Imagine the recovery our oceans could see.

We're ready to share everything we've learned, our methods, our systems, our 25 years of hard-won knowledge. We want to inspire and help others create their own reseeding operations.

With your support, we can:

  • Continue our 24/7 nursery operations as a living example
  • Document and share our methods for others to replicate
  • Expand reseeding to more earthquake and climate-affected areas
  • Raise 50,000+ baby pāua yearly from our farm alone
  • Train and mentor new farms wanting to start reseeding programs
  • Create a movement that transforms how we think about marine farming

Make a Difference Today

Every dollar you donate literally puts more pāua back in the ocean.
$20 = Feed 100 baby pāua for a week
$50 = Equipment for 24-hour monitoring
$100 = Materials for a new nursery tank section
$500 = Support a full spawning cycle
$1,000 = Release 1,000 juvenile pāua to the wild

Donate Now on Givealittle - Save the Pāua

A Personal Message from Our Family

We're not a big corporation. We're a family who took a chance on something no pāua farm had ever tried before, giving back more than we take.

Every morning at 4am, when we check on the baby pāua, we think about Kaikoura's empty rocks after the earthquake. We remember the devastation. Then we think about those same rocks today, covered in healthy pāua again, and we know why we do this.

We're the only pāua farm doing this intensive reseeding work, but we don't want to be the only ones forever. We want to inspire a movement. We want other farms to see that you can be profitable AND be healers of the ocean.

It's exhausting. It's expensive. It means no holidays, no sleep-ins, no days off.
But it's working. The proof is in our waters, the best pāua populations we've seen in 25 years.

This model works. It could work anywhere. But first, we need to keep it alive and thriving here, as proof of what's possible.
Join us. Help us show the world that marine farms can be the solution, not the problem. Be part of the first generation to leave the ocean better than we found it.

The pāua need us. The ocean needs us. And we need you.

Thank you,
The Team at Arapawa Blue Pearls

Wear the Story: Our Conservation Jewellery

Nature gifts us something extraordinary. Our pāua produce stunning blue pearls, among the rarest pearls in the world. Each one is unique, carrying the blues and greens of our pristine waters.

When you wear our pāua pearl jewellery, you're wearing more than a beautiful gem. You're wearing:

  • A piece of conservation history from New Zealand's only reseeding farm
  • A symbol of hope for our oceans
  • A conversation starter about marine protection
  • A direct contribution to our reseeding program

Every pearl purchased helps fund our nursery operations. It's jewellery that tells a story of baby pāua returned to the sea, of an ocean recovering.

Share Our Story

Follow us on social media. Share our posts. Tell friends about New Zealand's only pāua reseeding farm. Help us inspire others to start their own conservation journeys.