Special report
Pressure is growing on the government to drop a controversial Bill that has riled the public into action over the past week. Fishing and environmental advocacy groups have been rallying against the Fisheries Amendment Bill since its release last week. The ‘Kill the Bill’ campaign has raised an online storm of protest.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has today announced that the Coalition’s proposal to allow commercial fishers to land and sell undersized fish has been dropped. Advocacy groups, coordinated by LegaSea, the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council public outreach vehicle, see the announcement as progress. However all agree, the Bill must be dropped altogether.
“The minimum size limit proposal was just clickbait; the government couldn’t have got that over the line before the election, but realistically, the whole Bill needs to be dropped. It’s that flawed,” said Sam Woolford, LegaSea Project Lead.
“It’s clear by the groundswell of public opinion that Kiwis don’t support these reforms. The Coalition clearly doesn’t understand that people have lost faith in the process. They must listen to people’s concerns about the Bill. The only logical step is for the government to take the rest of the Bill off the table before its first reading.”
Sport Fishing Council
Scott Macindoe, President of the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council, is pleased the politicians have listened to the public’s concerns. The Council’s membership has been actively opposed to weakening environmental safeguards for fish and lowering standards of oversight, including banning public access to camera footage.
“The New Zealand Sport Fishing Council has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars advocating for restored abundance and a fair go for all Kiwis. The Amendment Bill is a slap in the face for all those people who have fought hard to defend the public’s interest in securing more fish in the water.”
The New Zealand Sport Fishing Council and LegaSea will continue to advocate that the Amendment Bill must be dropped at its first reading, before it goes to the Primary Production Select Committee.
“The Prime Minister’s announcement goes to show just how much public pressure can influence decisions. We must keep the pressure on,” said Scott Macindoe.
Sam Woolford is concerned that the Select Committee cannot make major changes to the intent of the Amendment Bill.
“The Bill seeks to pass control of New Zealand’s fish to a small cartel of quota owners. That control must stay with the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries so the public can have a say in the future management of our fish, and so our kids can enjoy abundant fisheries.”
Sam Woolford – Fisheries Amendment Bill – “flawed”
More information
New Zealand Sport Fishing Council
NATIONAL’S STATEMENT 25th March, 2026
“National backs recreational fishers and we’ve heard your concerns over the past couple of days.
“That’s why this morning I spoke to New Zealand First Minister Shane Jones and he agreed to take out the sections of the Fisheries Amendment Bill that removes the minimum size limits.
“As a recreational fisher, I share Kiwis’ concerns on the impacts to juvenile fish stocks. We want to ensure our kids and grandkids have abundant fisheries for the decades to come.
“I know Kiwis still have some concerns, which is why we want the fishing community to submit to the Select Committee process on this Bill.”
– Christopher Luxon, Prime
PM Luxon
It was interesting to see Shane Jones backdown which was his usual style of belligerence, a dollop of arrogance and strange in that he said he wasn’t influenced by anyone except NZ First leader Winston Peters.“There’s only one person who is capable of instructing the matua (Jones himself) and that’s the rangatira Winston,” he said.
Really?
What a slap in face to PM Luxon.
The question to be asked and resolved if NZ First is back in government with Act and National, is given Jones very close, cosy association with the commercial industry and an alleged conflict of interest, would he be made Minister of Fisheries again?
“People power” forced the government to rethink its position.
Which shows the power of the recreational sea fishing sector.
More or less a million New Zealanders go recreational sea fishing annually, doing over 1.1 million fishing trips ( 2022–23 figures). Not sure how they worked that out – they never asked me!
If a million Kiwis go fishing each year, they’d go more than once. at least several times a year. I suggest fishing trips would be several million.
A research study showed recreational saltwater fishing contributes roughly NZ$1.7 billion to the economy.
It provides over 8,100 full-time jobs, and generating nearly $1.7 billion in total annual economic activity (GDP) the benefits which go largely into regions not cities.
Thanks to Matt Watson who publicised the issue and stood up to bully boy Shane Jones and also thanks to Legasea and NZ Sport Fishing Council.
That “people power” mentioned above underlines the immense power that the fishing hunting sector have, if apathy and indifference can be shed and tossed aside.
The potential is there to awaken the “sleeping giant.”
If you think this issue is over, I’ve got a very nice bridge I can sell you!
Jones is not one to be trusted, whether it was Luxon or Peters is irrelevant. Both leaders have reneged on promises before. Both are bent as a corkscrew – time will tell if the battle is over – the war continues nonetheless.
The arrogance of this bill goes hand in hand with the way the Minister is dealing with it. The whole bill seeks to “sell off” the basic rights and heritage of all New Zealanders. Its withdrawal is a must. The million plus fishers must come first.
Well, it is election year and anything that rocks the boat will be abandoned pretty quickly. If this lot are re-elected, especially if Shane Jones is given fisheries again, the recreational fisher will have no chance.
Thankfully it is election year and we have the opportunity to register our objections. Sadly the choices seem pretty pathetic – either current coalition or labour/greens – A choice between massive debt and state control versus plundering of resources. Both sides seem to be reading out of the same woke songbook. That’s not much of a choice for Kiwi’s to make.
Recent elections have not just been about who governs, but how differently parties propose to govern.
Broadly speaking:
Labour / Green / Māori Party direction has tended to emphasise:
Stronger central coordination of environmental and water policy
Expanded regulatory frameworks (e.g. Three Waters, freshwater reforms)
Greater emphasis on climate response mechanisms and transition policy
Increased role of co-governance or partnership models
Social investment through public services and redistribution
The current National / ACT / NZ First coalition is taking a different approach:
Rolling back or replacing large centralised reforms (e.g. Three Waters repeal)
Greater emphasis on economic growth and regulatory reduction
Increased use of fast-track consenting for infrastructure
Reassertion of ministerial and parliamentary control over agencies
Review or reset of environmental and resource management frameworks
Neither approach is inherently right or wrong.
They reflect different views about:
The role of the state
The balance between development and protection
How decisions should be made - centrally or with broader participation
For voters, the question is not simply which policies they prefer - but which approach is more likely to deliver durable, accountable outcomes over time.
More Importantly – Who Do You Trust to Improve Your Life and That of New Zealand