Kaimoana Seafood

The people of Aotearoa have long drawn on the ocean as a source of food. Māori have a deep relationship with the sea and Tangaroa, the god of the sea and fish, and have many customs and practices around fishing. Europeans were slower to take up fishing in Aotearoa but did find an interest in naming many local fish species after those they were familiar with, such as cod and herring. In 1992 a Tiriti o Waitangi settlement was reached, allocating Māori quota of some commercial fishing grounds, as well as $150 million to enable Māori to purchase half of Sealord Products Ltd. and the establishment of Te Ohu Kaimoana.

Māori continue to have significant investments in the seafood industry group, with over $2.9 billion as at 2018. Within the seafood industries, Māori own a large market share of fishing (63%), with approximately 27% of all quota by volume and value owned by Māori. Ownership is not just limited to quota, as Māori have significant investment in aquaculture and land-based processing operations, including Moana NZ (100% Māori ownership) and Sealord Group Ltd. (50% Māori ownership). An estimated 28% of businesses in the industry are Māori-owned.

The Seafood industry group includes aquaculture, fishing, seafood processing and fish and seafood wholesaling (Maritime and Marine Operations, Stevedoring and Ports, Water Freight Boat Building and Maintenance, and Marine Technology do not fall under the remit of Muka Tangata). In 2021 we counted 15,951 people in the seafood industry group, with around 13% of the workforce on work and work holiday visas, and an ethnically diverse workforce including 27% Māori, 15% Asian, and 10% Pacific peoples.

The seafood industry is highly regionalised, presenting an opportunity for economic and workforce development outside the main economic centres. The industry also represents a potential growth area for the New Zealand economy, with seafood exports valued at $2.0 billion as at March 2023, and is forecasted to reach $2.08 billion by the end of June 2023 (an 8.4% increase on export values as of June 2022). Rock lobster, mussels, hoki and salmon accounted for 53% of total seafood exports as at March 2023. Despite forecasted growth, the industry is grappling with some significant challenges, including a heavy reliance on a migrant workforce, mitigating the impacts of climate change on the industry, and a decrease in the number of learners enrolled in vocational education relating to seafood.

Find out about our work to assess the quality of programmes delivered by providers for this industry here.

A snapshot of the Seafood workforce development plan is available for download here. Please note that this reflects a point in time (July 2024). The most up to date information is on the workforce development plans website.