Seafood New Zealand is always trying to serve its members and the sector better. Your answers to our recent industry survey told us a lot about the industry and will help us to plan for the year/s ahead.
Firstly, we could see that it's tough out there right now. One of the 297 survey respondents said it straight up: "It's a tough industry to be in now. Far too much red tape, fees etc. It's a constant battle."
We have to say, we have heard this same feedback over and over again, both from this survey but also regularly in conversations with fishers, processors, quota holders and others.
It is tough. We agree. In the near future, we hope to be able to share with you the work we have been doing on your behalf with the regulator MPI (the Ministry for Primary Industries) to try and loosen some of the red tape restricting our people and to come up with some sensible regulatory changes that will keep us sustainable in every sense of the word.
But despite all of this, there was a very, very strong theme that came through in this survey. So strong and positive that we wanted to share it with you. Despite the noise around us, we continue to be proud of what we do.
This pride shone through in the answers to this question: "Regardless of whether you work in the industry yourself or not, would you recommend the New Zealand seafood industry as a place to work?"
The overwhelming answer was "yes, absolutely", submitted by 59 percent of respondents. Another 31 percent said maybe, depending on the area of the sector. When you take out the "don't knows", only 5 percent said they would not recommend seafood as a workplace.
So, why are people so happy to recommend the sector? The comments say it all.
"Worked in it all my life and have loved it."
"It's good honest work, good for the soul."
"It is a good industry, vibrant and offers great potential to new entrants. It is a changing industry and can be difficult and challenging… For many of us, it has been our life's work."
"It is a crucial part of NZ export of primary produce and rewarding jobs follow from that."
That last comment is a goodie! Seafood is a vital part of New Zealand's primary sector, and we shouldn't forget that. MPI's latest report on the economic contribution of our primary sectors shows that seafood export revenue is expected to increase 5 percent to reach $2.2 billion in the year to 30 June 2024 (from the SOFI report).
Seafood is also New Zealand's eighth largest export commodity. There are around 16,000 Kiwi jobs that rely on seafood. That should be a source of pride.
Speaking of pride, you told us you want Seafood New Zealand to do more to get the Aotearoa New Zealand seafood story out there. We hear you and we are working hard on this. But, as we wrote a few updates ago, we're going to need your help.
This week via social media we've asked for people to share photos and videos from out on the water. Maybe it's a photo of an innovative piece of equipment, a beautiful sunset, or your crew working hard to deliver quality seafood to Kiwis and consumers further abroad. We get that you guys are busy out there, and you're just doing your job, but what you do is interesting to people. We need to be showing people what it's really like out there and how we're working to make sure we're fishing sustainably with as little impact as possible.
