April 9, 2024
Originally published in the New Zealand Fishing News, April 2024. New Zealand, a country just north of the furious 50s, a series of small islands perched precariously on a volcanic fault line and more than 1000 nautical miles from its nearest neighbours. We pride ourselves on our wild coastlines and incredible marine life. This is […]
April 1, 2024
The pristine waters of the Coromandel could become the last resort for bottom trawling and seining if the Hauraki Gulf Marine Protection Bill gets through Parliament. The Environment Select Committee is currently reviewing the Protection Bill, after holding hearings in Auckland in early March. Successive submitters urged the Committee to consider the wider impacts of […]
March 27, 2024
Last Friday the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, Shane Jones, made his first round of decisions for a range of fish stocks across New Zealand. While we hoped for a positive outcome, we have instead been left with a sour taste for what is to come. What is clear from the decisions is the Minister’s […]
March 20, 2024
A part of being a good Kiwi is sticking up for our neighbours when something’s not right. Now is the time tosupport our whānau living around the North Island’s east coast, as their crayfish is under threat. We need to work together as crayfish are a national taonga, a treasure. Local communities, Māori, and commercial […]
March 14, 2024
Collecting kai moana is a Kiwi summer tradition, wading in knee-deep water, collecting buckets of pipi, cockles, or whatever else your auntie fancies. It’s an ancient practice, and a way of life for some. Running out of hands to collect used to be the norm. Instead, we are faced with emergency closures and rāhui, temporary […]
March 13, 2024
It’s been 24 years since the establishment of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park and 9 years since the Sea Change programme was initiated to restore the Park. In that time tens of thousands of hours from volunteers, contractors and employees of a myriad of organisations have been invested into developing a pathway to restored abundance […]
March 10, 2024
Marine ecosystems are delicate. When something is out of balance it impacts a variety of species. It can be likened to a domino effect. It’s about who eats who. Baitfish including Blue and Jack mackerels are a perfect example. It’s incredible that such a small fish can influence the way an ecosystem functions. Yet it’s […]
March 6, 2024
You can’t beat a Summer’s day out in the Hauraki Gulf, coming home relaxed and refreshed and if you’re lucky, a couple of fish in the chilly bin. What you don’t expect, is the horrifying sight of hundreds lifeless snapper drifting in the sea. This is exactly what happened back in February. It was heartbreaking […]
February 9, 2024
Our oceans serve a much greater purpose than just being a source of kai moana. The value of spending time with whanau fishing off your local wharf or on Grandad’s dinghy is priceless. Exchanging stories at the end of a long day is what makes lasting memories. What might go unnoticed is the contribution such […]
February 2, 2024
New Zealand’s fisheries management system is so corrupted some commercial fishers are earning less than $4 per kilo for whole fish retailing at $60 for skinned and boned fillets. Our Quota Management System is so rotten that small-scale fishers doing the right thing in New Zealand are becoming an endangered species. Reform of the system […]
