This week Seafood New Zealand’s Chief Executive Lisa Futschek is sharing her new fishing year resolutions.

Welcome to the 2025/26 fishing year. Many people outside our industry have no idea we have our very own year. In fact, someone who was a big fan of our recipe fishing year calendar they received at the 2024 Seafood NZ Conference was a bit confused when it abruptly ended on 30 September!
 
So, I believe our very own new year deserves its very own set of resolutions. I’ve made three. 

1. Keep shining the light 

Sounds cheesy, but it’s important. We need politicians, media and the public to understand who we are and what we do. We do things differently here in New Zealand – we fish sustainably, and we rely on science to guide us.
 
I want people to know us – the hardworking Kiwis using innovation and generations of knowledge to deliver nutritious (and delicious) protein to consumers in Aotearoa New Zealand and around the world.
 
After all, our sector earns around $2 billion in export receipts annually and is responsible for approximately $5 billion in economic activity. We are also New Zealand’s ninth-largest goods export. We’re crucial to many seaside communities across our motu, and we deserve respect and to receive credit where credit is due.
 
There’s a lot of misinformation out there about what we do, and it’s my mission to make sure decision-makers and beyond get the real picture.
 
Telling these stories is a key part of my role, and sometimes I’ll be calling on you to help me. Right now, we’re working on getting a number of MPs out on fishing boats so they can see what we do first-hand and talk directly with fishers. We’re getting some bites, and we’ve got some great skippers keen to help. If things go ahead, fingers crossed for good weather.
 
2. Continue to meet as many of you as I can 

To help with that first resolution, I need to be out there talking to you, the people doing the mahi. Over the past fishing year, Board Chair Greg Gent and I have hosted a number of “Beers and Ideas” evenings with fishers and other industry people, and we plan to keep them going over the next 12 months.
 
In fact, we’ve got three coming up before Christmas:

  • Tauranga: 4.30pm, Thursday 23 October @ The Freeport with Cleaver & Co
  • Greymouth: 4:30pm, Monday 10 November @ Speights Ale House
  • New Plymouth: 4:30pm, Thursday 13 November @ New Plymouth Sportfishing & Underwater Club

If you work in the seafood sector and are based or operate in one of these areas it would be great to see you for a beverage and a chat. For more information and to RSVP, email [email protected].
 
3. Get us ready

This is a big one. Get us ready for what you ask?
 
Get ready for changes to the Fisheries Act. We need to make sure these amendments get through the House smoothly, and we need to get ready to implement the change at our end.
 
We also need to get ready because we’re heading into a national election in about 12 months’ time. We know that all elections involve change, though we don’t know the extent of that or what form it’ll take. So, we’re getting ready by doing our best to keep all parties informed of happenings in our industry and making sure decision-makers get the facts.
 
So those are my three resolutions for the 2025/26 fishing year. It’s another big one for us, but I’m excited by the opportunities and keen to keep building the momentum of the past 12 months.
 
One last note: while it took far more than a single fishing year, it was a real win to see the Fisheries Subsidies Agreement enter into force at the World Trade Organisation on 15 September. This agreement, first adopted in 2022, sets the first binding global rules to stop harmful subsidies that fuel illegal fishing, overfished stocks and damage ocean health.
 
New Zealand has championed the removal of harmful subsidies for years. For me, it’s a full-circle moment – I spent a lot of time working on fisheries subsidies in the late 1990s back in my diplomatic days with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
 
Wishing you all the best for the year ahead.