Happy New Year - we hope you've had a good break and are feeling rested and ready for what's ahead.
With a new year comes a new name for this newsletter - we hope you like it. We're also changing the timing up a bit. From now on, this newsletter will land in your inbox fortnightly. Our aim is to make sure this is something of real use: delivering timely updates, new facts and a bit of food for thought - we don't want it to be just another message in an already crowded inbox.
There's no doubt about it - 2026 is shaping up to be a big year for our sector.
The changes to the Fisheries Act will be coming in front of Parliament (including your local MP) in the first half of 2026. As part of the Select Committee process, there will be an open public consultation on the proposed changes. We'll be looking for industry to once again step up and have their say on these important, common-sense changes.
Last week the Prime Minister announced the election date as 7 November. It might feel a wee way off, but it'll be here before we know it, and there's a lot to do between now and then.
It is very possible that commercial fishing - particularly bottom contact fishing - could be a hot topic as political parties start laying out their positions. This is something we will continue to engage with politicians and officials on. We'll be using this newsletter to keep you across what's being said, what's coming and what it actually means for our sector.
With both an election and major consultations happening this year, we need to be doing more to tell our story - not just to politicians (which we're already working on), but to the public as well.
One of the ways we plan to do this is through a new series we're calling Faces of Fishing. The idea is simple: to put real people from our industry front and centre, telling their own stories in their own words. The videos are nothing fancy - no scripts, no polish - just real Kiwis talking honestly about their work and why it matters.
We've already managed to wrangle a few faces from across the industry to help get this off the ground, and you'll start seeing those stories roll out over the coming weeks. It's important people out there are seeing these faces, hearing directly from people in our sector and getting a better understanding of what we do.
If you'd like to be one of the faces of fishing or know someone who might be great for it, we'd love to hear from you. You don't need media experience, and it's not just fishers we're looking for. Anyone working in the seafood sector who's happy to get in front of a camera can take part, and we'll help pull something together that feels comfortable and true to you.
As conversations about fishing grow across social media, it's important that our industry is part of that story too. We might not have big budgets, but we do have salt-of-the-earth Kiwis working hard every day. Our contribution to coastal communities and to New Zealand's economy matters - and it deserves to be seen and understood.
We know fronting up can be daunting. People aren't always kind from behind a keyboard. But you won't be doing it alone - you have the backing of your sector.
We're launching the first Faces of Fishing video on social media tomorrow (Friday). Those of you reading this can get a sneak peek now. This first face will be a familiar one for many of you. Thanks Mike Terry Senior.
Finally, we're wishing you all a safe, fruitful and successful fishing year ahead. We look forward to supporting you, sharing the facts and working alongside you in the months to come.
