Fishing for a win, the National Party does a backflip

2026-03-01 - 16:07

The battle has been long – fish versus fishing. Now, the fight over the future of the Hauraki Gulf has erupted again, this time over politics, promises, and what policy critics are calling a backflip. Nine months out from the election, the National Party has pledged to ban the controversial practice of ring-netting in 12 high protection zones and to review rules around bottom trawling corridors. Currently, two high protection zones can be accessed by five commercial fishers. The new policy, announced by Conservation Minister Tama Potaka, pushes against a decision his own Government made last year, and comes as a “confusing” blow to Seafood New Zealand. “The health of our oceans and the sustainability of our fisheries resources are absolutely critical to us – without that, we don’t have businesses, we don’t create jobs, and we don’t supply healthy protein to Kiwis,” Seafood New Zealand CEO Lisa Futchek tells The Detail. “So we work really hard on these credentials. But the policy reversal ... I really do question whether it is about sustainability.” She says the five fishers allowed to fish in the two high-protection areas “run small family businesses, they have been fishing in the area for decades, it’s really low impact, they have small boats ... and their nets are hand set and hauled”. “It’s hard to argue this is a sustainability measure. It’s really unfortunate because these ring-net fishers were caught in what is now high-protection areas, lines were drawn, their operations weren’t considered, and it really is unfair,” Futchek says. “The exceptions that the Government made were just transitions for these guys, so they could adapt their businesses and prepare for some time in the future when those exceptions were no longer allowed. “The fact that the National caucus has decided to roll those back early, or certainly they are electioneering on that promise, is really confusing to us. Because it isn’t about sustainability, and we would like to understand what it is really about.” Newsroom senior business journalist Andrew Bevin, who is covering the story, tells The Detail the policy backflip is a surprise move. “It’s not often you see someone campaigning to undo their own decision as an election policy,” says Bevin, whose story ran under the headline’Fisheries emerges as unlikely election battleground’. “But to come out with a fisheries policy nine months before the election tells you that this is something we are going to have a real discussion about this year.” He says National has opted to campaign for this new policy because the current situation is “just so unpopular”. “It’s become a poster child of what has been seen as an anti-environmental agenda from the coalition, and this perceived favouring of industry over fishing rights for the public – recreational fishermen, who are cut out of these high protection areas.” Environmental groups, scientists, and recreational fishers have long been vocal that the Gulf is under pressure like never before. They point to declining biodiversity, stressed fish stocks, and seabeds scarred by trawling. But Futchek argues that commercial fishers are being unfairly painted as ocean villains when, in their view, they’re among the most regulated fishers in the world. “To say that the commercial fishing industry is responsible for the decline in biodiversity and ecosystems in the Gulf is simply wrong,” she says. “Putting the blame at our feet is completely unfair, and I reject that.” She says quotas, monitoring, and strict rules already govern what they can catch – and that further bans could cripple businesses, coastal jobs, and food supply chains. She believes the current setup is working. “New Zealand can be hugely proud of a quota management system which has seen our stocks revive, has seen us fishing sustainably, has seen us the envy of the world, really, in terms of the way we manage our fishery.” She says the seafood industry is adapting – trialling new gear, reducing seabed impact, investing in sustainability. But trust, she admits, is harder to rebuild than fish stock. And that may be the real battle here. Not just fish versus fishing, but credibility versus suspicion. Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here. You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.