Fish and Game review has some support
Central South Island Fish and Game’s chairman is conditionally supporting an upcoming review of the entire national organisation.
Dr Andrew Simpson said the organisation’s immediate challenge was assessing the impact Covid-19 will have on angling and hunting in the Central South Island and how the council can best respond to that.
‘‘Once that’s in hand, our region will be keen to participate if Fish and Game as a whole agrees to undertake a review that is openminded, and engages with hunters and anglers.
‘‘The CSI council feels an objective review of Fish and Game nationally, including the New Zealand council as well as the regions, could help the organisation adapt to changing circumstances and better serve anglers and hunters. Our council is not resistant to change.’’
Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage confirmed there would be a review of the structure of the entire organisation, but it was still working on the terms of reference details.
‘‘It’s useful for any organisation to have a regular health check on how it is performing against its statutory purpose and functions; and what, if any changes are needed,’’ Sage said.
‘‘No formal review of Fish and Game as an organisation has been done for some time. Such a review is timely, especially given Covid-19 and the potential impacts of this on licence revenue. The scope of the review has yet to be finalised. It will involve an independent reviewer.’’
There are 12 regional Fish and Game councils, and one national council. They are funded by licence fees and oversee the management of fishing and gamebird hunting.
The announcement of a review comes after a period of upheaval of the national Fish and Game Council, with former chairman Lindsay Lyons being replaced by Paul Shortis at its last meeting.
Despite the recent upheaval at the national level, Simpson said he had confidence in the organisation.
‘‘With the election of Paul Shortis, the New Zealand council has a new chair with extensive corporate experience and strong support across the organisation,’’ Simpson said.
Last year, CSI Fish and Game underwent a wide-ranging audit of its practices after complaints were lodged about how it handled conflicts of interest – including those of its former chairman Gary Rooney.
The audit found those conflicts of interest had been appropriately managed, but it ‘‘did not manage the perception as well as it could have’’.
Simpson said since the audit, the council has adopted new policies for managing conflicts of interest, managing risks, and financial delegations, which are up to date with modern best practice.
‘‘Completing this governance update will allow our council to move on and focus on managing and enhancing our region’s freshwater fish and game bird resource. And that’s what matters to anglers and game bird hunters in our region.’’