Ministry welcomes new Fishery Officers, launches summer awareness programme

Welcoming new Fishery Officer graduates, Ministry of Fisheries Chief Executive Wayne McNee today also launched the Ministry of Fisheries’ public summer education campaign, “4 Million Guardians”.

“We’re all guardians of our precious fisheries resources,” Mr McNee said. “It’s very important to remember this as we start to take the first opportunities this summer to enjoy our favourite fishing spots throughout the country.

“Find out about the rules before you go – especially the numbers and sizes of fish you can take. And once you’re up to speed yourself, tell your children / whanau as well.”

The graduation ceremony for seven new Fishery Officers is being held this evening at the Police College in Porirua. The officers will be stationed at Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Kaikoura and Blenheim.

“I congratulate the new Fishery Officers on their achievement,” Mr McNee said. “They join a special group with a crucial role in the guardianship of our fisheries. The Government and the Ministry are fully committed to supporting front-line activities on and around our beaches.”

More than 150 warranted Fishery Officers are employed in a variety of roles including surveillance, investigation, compliance management, intelligence analysis and forensic accounting.

There are also over 200 Honorary Fishery Officers throughout New Zealand. “Their voluntary contribution is very important. I acknowledge the work of all Field Operations staff – especially as the busy summer season gets under way,” Mr McNee said.

Go here to view the latest recreational fishing rules, or visit your nearest Ministry of Fisheries office. 

Members of the public are encouraged to call 0800 4 POACHER (0800 476 224) if they see any suspicious or illegal activity in our fisheries this summer. Last year’s campaign resulted in a record number of over 2000 calls to the hotline, leading to some poachers being caught red-handed.

He kaitiaki tätou katoa 

New Fishery Officer bios

Leah Barrett is originally from Ireland and comes to the Ministry from the aquaculture
industry. She is a qualified diving instructor and has international yachting experience.
Leah will be based at Blenheim.



Mark Green has worked for the Ministry as an Honorary Fisheries Officer
on a part-time basis for a number of years. He will be based at Kaikoura.



Howard Reid is a current Ministry employee from the Observer programme.
He will be based at Kaikoura.



Ramon Smith comes to the Ministry from the New Zealand Police
where he spent the last 13 years. He will be based at Blenheim.



Brent Whitiora has a mechanical engineering background.
He will be based at Hamilton.



Dan Xu has worked in New Zealand and China in the electronics industry for
the last five years. He will be based at Auckland and is the first Fishery Officer
of Asian descent to be employed by the Ministry.



Andrew Wright is another Ministry employee who is transferring from the Intelligence
Section to the International Section. He is taking up a new role as an International
Intelligence Analyst and is based at Wellington.