 To Māori, pāua are recognised taonga, or treasure, esteemed both as "kaimoana" (seafood) and as a valued resource for traditional and contemporary arts and crafts.Pāua are frequently used to represent the eyes in Māori carvings and traditionally are associated with the stars or "whetū", the symbolic eyes of ancestors that gaze down from the night sky.The pāua is iconic in New Zealand