June 30, 2026
Article originally published in Mahurangi Matters, June 2026 Rockpools are being stripped bare. Our intertidal coastline is under growing pressure, and we can no longer ignore the damage. Local communities, including Whangapāroa, have genuine concerns about the ongoing depletion of rocky shore species such as limpets, cat’s eyes, whelks, and periwinkles. It’s not too late ... Read more.
June 30, 2026
Article originally published in Fishing in Godzone magazine, June 2026. Fisheries New Zealand is proposing major new restrictions on recreational harvesting of shellfish and invertebrates along Auckland’s east and west coast and the Coromandel coastline. If implemented, the closures will affect our ability to gather kaimoana such as cockles, kina and pāua from rocky shores ... Read more.
June 18, 2026
The controversial Fisheries Amendment Bill has been put on ice and will not be progressed by the current government. “This is an incredible victory for New Zealand’s fisheries, our marine environment, and the hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders who refused to be ignored”, Said Scott Macindoe, President of the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council. ... Read more.
May 28, 2026
May 28 is National Kahawai Day – a day to celebrate one of New Zealand’s most iconic and accessible fish. For generations, kahawai has been the people’s fish. It’s the fish of summer holidays, surfcasting with the kids, early mornings with grandparents, and the unmistakable smell of fresh kahawai cooking after a day on the ... Read more.
May 6, 2026
Article originally published in Fishing in Godzone magazine, May 2026 What do we want? To kill the Fisheries Amendment Bill. When do we want it? Now. In April and May, more than 30,000 concerned Kiwis made their submission opposing the Bill. “Corrupt”, “rotten” and “shocking” were just some of the words that were used to ... Read more.
April 29, 2026
Just 16 working days. That’s all the time the government gave Kiwis to read, understand, and respond to some of the most consequential changes to fisheries legislation. If enacted, the Fisheries Amendment Bill means less transparency, more fish exported, and fewer fish to feed our families. There is no goodwill. The Bill was issued in ... Read more.
April 22, 2026
Radical. It’s the only word to describe both the proposed changes to fisheries legislation and the growing public opposition to the Fisheries Amendment Bill. There is increasing concern that the Bill, introduced to Parliament by NZ First’s Shane Jones in March, is another move by the Coalition government to privatise what’s left of our fisheries. ... Read more.
April 15, 2026
Section 13 – Removing environmental considerations when setting catch limits. Removes environmental safeguards, allowing the Minister to set catch limits without considering the effect of fishing on the wider marine environment and species not in the Quota Management System. (Note – there are only 98 species in the QMS). The Fisheries Amendment Bill prioritises commercial ... Read more.
April 15, 2026
Article originally published in Fishing in Godzone magazine, April 2026. The Coalition government has made a serious mistake in backing the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries’ most sweeping changes to fisheries legislation in the past 40 years. Kiwis are outraged. And rightly so. More than 25,000 New Zealanders rejected the proposed changes to the Fisheries ... Read more.
March 30, 2026
As public opposition to the Fisheries Amendment Bill grows, critics are calling for the bill to be voted down ahead of its first reading tomorrow (March 31). Removing crucial changes such as undersized fish is a start, but there are other controversial elements much more alarming than legalising the harvest of baby snapper. This includes ... Read more.
