Reese raves over seafood’s contribution

Sharing fishy stories with your local council can produce a happy ending for the regions, New Zealand’s seafood industry has heard.

Speaking at the New Zealand Seafood conference on Thursday, Nelson Mayor Rachel Reese reaffirmed her support for the industry that is such a vital component of her city, Australasia’s largest fishing port.

Reese said names like Talley’s, Sealord, Sanford, New Zealand King Salmon and Kono were key contributors to the top of the south’s economy, while Plant and Food Research, NMIT and the Cawthron Institute were developing new industries that utilised seafood and aquaculture byproducts.

Noting the absence of local government representatives at the conference, Reese urged the industry to forge better connections with their respective councils if they wanted their voices to be heard locally.

‘‘My city would be so much poorer if it weren’t for all of these industries . . . through all of these connections, you are putting money in the wage packets of people in my city, and I need you to tell your story better than what you are at the moment,’’ she said.

‘‘Get your mayors to care – tell your stories to the rest of provincial New Zealand, because what we need is that story of prosperity and innovation.

‘‘I do not want the sector being perceived as an industry that needs to be terminated,’’ Reese said.

‘‘I want it seen as an industry that needs New Zealanders support, because we’re all going to benefit.’’

Reese’s speech followed an address from Regional Development Minister Shane Jones, who told the conference the Government’s $3 billion growth fund was open for business from the fishing industry.

One of the potential projects that could benefit from the fund was the establishment of Nelson’s Te Matau Education Centre.

Sharing a short video on the project during her presentation, Reese said hoped the centre was ‘‘one story that would come to fruition’’.

She said the project aimed to create a world-class marine education centre that celebrated the Nelson region and the nation’s maritime history and ties to the ocean.

Te Matau Trust chairman Peter Dawson said there had been some engagement with the council in regard to the centre’s establishment, with additional support from iwi and central government.

While still in its early stages, early investigations had involved looking at three potential sites and meeting with Jones to raise its profile.

‘‘They’ve all said it’s a great idea, we just need to make it happen,’’ Dawson said.

‘‘Of course we’d like to apply, following the processes of the regional development fund, and it ticks all of the boxes for that.’’

A final site was subject to negotiation with the council, he said. A full feasibility study would follow before fundraising would commence.

‘‘It’s very much in line with the council’s future plans for the port and waterfront environment,’’ Dawson said.

However, the trust did not want to simply characterise the centre as an aquarium, he said, but a significant landmark for Nelson, in the same vein as New Plymouth’s Len Lye Centre.

It would also be used as a venue for high-profile events and welcoming dignitaries.

‘‘We don’t want a shed at the port – we want something that will become a feature of Nelson where people will stop to say ‘this looks pretty cool’,’’ Dawson said.

Instead, the centre aimed to explore Nelson’s fishing and maritime heritage from a Maori perspective, and chronicle the evolution of the fishing industry and its abilities to provide sustainable seafood to the world.

‘‘Yes, it will have aquarium tanks and touch pools like the old Mapua aquarium, [but] it’s far more than just a tourist attraction.

‘‘It’s something we need as a centre of gravity to showcase how Nelson interacts with the sea and to set out the history of the fishing and aquaculture industries, marine science and all the other things we do,’’ he said.

‘‘My city would be so much poorer if it weren’t for all of these industries . . . through all of these connections, you are putting money in the wage packets of people in my city, and I need you to tell your story better than what you are at the moment.’’

Nelson Mayor Rachel Reese