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Browse the 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand
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Graphic: An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand 1966.

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This information was published in 1966 in An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock. It has not been corrected and will not be updated.

Up-to-date information can be found elsewhere in Te Ara.

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LEATHERJACKET

The leatherjacket (Novodon convexirostris), or kokiri of the Maoris, is a small rough-skinned fish with a tiny mouth and a triggerlike spine on the back which can be locked into a vertical position at will. This fish resembles brown suede leather, except for the fins which are bright yellow. It is a good food fish and is sold in the Auckland markets in the form of skinned fillets under the name of “cream fish”. The leatherjacket is less than a foot in length and is common in the outer Hauraki Gulf, where it is often seen feeding around seaweed-covered rocks.

by Arthur William Baden Powell, Assistant Director, Auckland Institute and Museum.

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Arthur William Baden Powell, Assistant Director, Auckland Institute and Museum.