New Zealand’s aquaculture industry is currently dominated by three key species – mussels, oysters, and salmon – and as such, there is growing interest in diversifying the sector. Over the past few decades, wild scallop populations throughout the country have been depleted, resulting in several regional fisheries closures. This decline in wild populations combined with the cultural significance of this species makes it a promising candidate for aquaculture in New Zealand. This presentation will provide an overview of the results from an initial study seeking to determine the feasibility of scallop aquaculture in the Coromandel, in northern New Zealand. It will discuss the key factors limiting the development of scallop aquaculture in New Zealand at each stage of production, namely biofouling and mortality, and suggest some approaches to overcoming these challenges. The presentation will then conclude by providing a summary of the workstreams underway from a recently funded project that seeks to build on the initial results and overcome these challenges to support the development of a scallop industry in New Zealand.