Sea urchins are a major driver of kelp forest loss in many temperate regions and sea urchin removal is increasingly being advocated as an approach to kelp forest restoration. However, simply removing urchins doesn’t address the underlying cause, and in the case of kina (Evechinus chloroticus), removal of a taonga species has clear cultural considerations. Over the last 3 years we have been working with hapū throughout Aotearoa New Zealand examining how sea urchin removal, both E. chloroticus and Centrostephanus rodgersii, can be used as a tool to restore kelp forests and enhance sea urchin roe quality for local communities. These studies span a range of environmental contexts and are providing important insights into what sea urchin removal does and does not achieve, and when and how it might provide a useful tool for promoting kelp forest recovery. The results are also providing an experimental understanding of the role of sea urchins in driving kelp forest loss and the potential for recovery across different regions of Aotearoa, which has wider implications for kelp forest restoration and ecosystem-based management of our coastal reef ecosystems.