Trade Me Banned Raw Greenstone Because a River Cobble Has No Receipt

Trade Me, New Zealand’s largest online auction site, has banned the sale of raw, uncarved pounamu, the prized greenstone found in the South Island. All current listings are being removed and future ones blocked.²

Ngāi Tahu, the iwi (tribe) that legally owns natural pounamu across most of the South Island, called the decision “a major breakthrough” in its fight against a black market in stolen stone.¹ Iwi leaders are also clear that one website is only part of the problem.

What the ban covers

The ban applies to uncut river and beach cobbles, boulders, large unworked stones, and rough-sawn slabs or plates. Finished pounamu, such as carved jewelry, can still be listed, as long as it meets Trade Me’s other rules.³

RNZ reported that existing listings of raw greenstone were canceled and restrictions put in place to stop new sales.¹ Before this, Trade Me had already pulled many listings flagged as illegal and banned some sellers. The new policy goes a step further by closing off raw stone entirely.²

Why raw stone is the sticking point

A river cobble does not come with a receipt. Trade Me marketplace general manager Sally Feinson explained the reasoning to Stuff:

“It’s been uniquely difficult to confirm whether raw stone was legally sourced, and stopping the sale of it will remove that uncertainty.”

²

Francois Tumahai, co-chair of Poutini (West Coast) Ngāi Tahu Rūnanga, the tribal council for the area, told RNZ that some raw pounamu on the site may have been legally sourced. But proving it is long-winded and drawn out, he said, so a blanket ban is the best approach.¹

Ngāi Tahu’s ownership of natural pounamu is set out in the Ngāi Tahu (Pounamu Vesting) Act 1997. The iwi owns all raw greenstone in the South Island, apart from a few hapū (subtribes) in Tasman.²³

A growing black market

Tumahai told RNZ that the amount of raw pounamu being uncovered is growing, and so is the black market. He linked the rise to the gold price and the number of mining permits being sought on the West Coast.¹

The pressure has been building for a while. In April, Ngāi Tahu said the illegal trade was escalating and its enforcement staff could not keep up with every platform, from Trade Me to Facebook groups, Marketplace and Etsy.⁵

The problem reaches the border too. New Zealand Customs data show 293.9 kilograms of pounamu seized across 17 incidents between 2016 and 2025.⁴ This year, a mother and son were convicted for trying to export almost 18 kilograms of raw pounamu, reported as the first successful Customs prosecution of its kind.⁶

Not the end of the trade

Tumahai sees the ban as a signal to the wider industry. “To have New Zealand’s largest and most high-profile online trading platform supporting our position sends a strong message to not only their subscribers but to other social media platforms,” he told RNZ. “The message is: It’s not okay to sell illegally sourced pounamu.”¹

He also told Stuff, “This is a sign to those selling stolen pounamu that the gates are closing in,” while adding, “This won’t stop the illegal trade overnight.”²

Stolen pounamu is still widely sold on Facebook Marketplace and Etsy, according to Stuff. Poutini Ngāi Tahu has created two pounamu protection officer roles.²

Tumahai hopes Trade Me’s move will set a precedent. He said the iwi has reached out to other online marketplaces, but they “haven’t been forthright in coming forward.”¹