We have been encountering barracuda frequently while fishing, and we lost a lot of our expensive lures because they can just cut the line with their shape teeth. Any tips on how to avoid catching barracuda and losing gear to them?

maybe use a leader just in case you do catch one.

That was my first thought too.

But it would have to be a wire leader which would have an adverse affect on the action of the lure.

what type of fish are you trying to catch?

they also like shiny objects, so maybe try not to use very shiny lures

We usually fish for table fish like snapper, blue cod, and Kahawai(similar to Australian Salmon). Here in New Zealand, Barracuda are not very popular for eating because they have worms.

That's why we've lost a lot of metal jigs to them, lol! We enjoy fishing with small metal jigs, but barracudas will go for any type of lure or bait. Unfortunately, we've also lost soft baits, stick baits, hooks, and so on We tried using a steel leader, but it seemed to interfere with the lure action, resulting in fewer bites from other fish.

what is the normal day for you in New Zealand

We fish all over NZ, mostly in the North Island where we didn't have this problem. There, we encountered more sharks, leading to gear loss. However, currently, we are in the South Island where barracudas are causing issues.

you catch sharks?

Sharks are a common catch all around New Zealand and Australia.

There are a few types of sharks we can catch here.
Some, like the Rig shark (lemon fish), are sought after for eating, while others, such as spiny dogfish, hammerhead, bronze whaler, and sevengill sharks, are considered nuisances, like barracuda.
I'm not sure if you can catch great whites, but they are also around.

GW's are protected here in NZ and we are supposed to report it any time we hook them as a by-catch or sight them. I didn't know this on my 3hr fight with one on my kayak a few years back and never reported it, but they would like us to let DOC (our Department of Conservation) know on:
[email=sharks@doc.govt.nz]sharks@doc.govt.nz

did you get a look at? how big you reckon? Quite a scary catch on a kayak, haha.

Yes, got it to the kayak. Was just over 2.5m so thankfully just a juvenile that probably hadn't realised it was a GW. Towed me about 10km in the process though. Craziest fight I've ever had.

how often do you go fishing? I go 2-3 times a week

Twice a week would be ideal but depends on the weekend weather, which is, shall we say, changeable, here in NZ. It is said that if we don't like the current weather, just wait 10 minutes and it'll be completely different. I do try to manage a day or 1/2 day mid-week if the forecast and work schedule allow. It's easier in daylight savings time to sneak a few trips in after work when there's daylight until 7:30pm/8pm.

This winter I'm going to try to get a mid-week, daybreak paddle or two in, to try and not lose too much fitness before spring and summer get here again. A kayak ergometer (a bit like an indoor rowing machine, but for kayaking) was going to cost almost $5k. So, instead I'll likely buy a cheap plastic kayak that I can throw around and not worry about, and use that as a training kayak at the local estuary which is about 10 minutes drive away. The erg would be ideal but just not affordable.