New Zealand Seafood Sustainability and Innovation Awards 2025

This award is given to a category winner who has made an outstanding contribution to sustainability and innovation, including a commitment to sharing knowledge with others.

Greg Gent, Seafood New Zealand Board Chair, with Professor Kura Paul-Burke

The 2025 winner is Professor Kura Paul-Burke. Professor Paul-Burke is also the winner of the Tangata Tiaki/Kaitiaki Award.

This award recognises an individual or group who has made consistent and regular contributions to increasing the sustainability and innovation of Aotearoa New Zealand’s seafood sector over time.

John Young, Clearwater Mussels, with Hon Minister Shane Jones

John Young: Clearwater Mussels

For more than 5 decades, John Young, a pioneering mussel farmer, has been at the forefront of innovation in New Zealand’s mussel industry.

In the 1970s, John worked with the Ministry of Fisheries and was involved in the work which ultimately led to the discovery of spat-encrusted seaweed at 90 Mile Beach (Te-Oneroa-a-Tōhē) significantly improving spat supply, a key enabler of the industry.

Working with others, he introduced the first longline mussel farm in the Marlborough Sounds – an advancement in technology that led to the industry-wide shift away from raft-based farming systems, making mussel aquaculture efficient and sustainable.

Under John’s leadership, Clearwater Mussels continues to make a significant contribution to the design and manufacture of machinery used in the farming process and pursue innovations that enhance operational efficiency and sustainability. Recent developments include spat and culture rope development to significantly improve retention and float attachment systems for both enclosed and open turbulent water conditions and the design and manufacture of a revolutionary shock-absorbing float for open water farming.

The company also applies various resource management practices aimed at reducing environmental impact, including recycling and refurbishing mussel farming equipment such as floats and ropes, as well as manufacturing biodegradable cotton stockings used during the seeding process.

John contributes to workforce development through staff mentorship and collaboration with iwi on marine resource initiatives.

He believes that aquaculture offers plenty of opportunity for future generations.

This award recognises operational innovation leading to more sustainable practice while also contributing to increased productivity and/or export growth.

Caroline Read, Fishserve Chief Executive, with Jerome Chua from Massey University, and Keith Mawson from Egmont Seafoods

Sustainable Pioke Longline Bait Project

Rob Ansley (Ocean Pearl Fisheries), Keith Mawson (Egmont Seafoods), Jerome Chua (Massey University), and Mark Peychers (Fiordland Lobster Company) have teamed up to create the “bait sausage” – a longline-suitable and hook-stable bait that could transform the way rig are caught on the west coast of the North Island.

Made from crayfish waste, the bait sausage mimics crayfish scent and texture. This breakthrough initiative is dolphin-safe and cost-effective. Supported by Callaghan Innovation, Venture Taranaki, the Ministry for Primary Industries, and Massey University, it reflects the best of New Zealand’s seafood sector – cross-organisational collaboration, practical innovation, and environmental responsibility.

The bait sausage is proof that when science, industry, and community partners come together, we can find solutions that benefit the environment, the economy, and our coastal communities.

Finalists: Scallop Survey Imaging and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Team, Earth Sciences New Zealand (NIWA) and University of Canterbury, and Aaron and Debbie Pannell from FlipFarm Systems Limited.

This award recognises strong local environmental guardianship through practices that protect marine ecosystems and vulnerable taonga species and/or advance sustainability knowledge through science, education, and community engagement.

Graeme Hastilow, Te Ohu Kaimoana Chief Executive with Professor Kura Paul-Burke

Professor Kura Paul-Burke: University of Waikato

Professor Kura Paul-Burke (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Whakahemo, Ngāti Mākino, Ngāti Pūkeko, Irish) is a marine ecologist with extensive pragmatic and successful experience combining mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) and marine science to assist kaitiakitanga (restoration, monitoring, management) priorities for marine taonga species and spaces with coastal hapū and iwi.

As the principal investigator for Pou Rāhui, as part of a recent project, she led reseeding initiatives that released over 80,000 pāua juveniles across Waiheke Island and Whitianga Coastline. Professor Paul-Burke also completed research for Mai i ngā Kuri a Whārei ki Tihirau Iwi Fisheries Forum to assess the current state of pāua in the Bay of Plenty, looking at historical changes over time, including maramataka, pāua growth rates, and identifying the size pāua can breed in the wild.

Professor Paul-Burke also leads the highly successful mussel restoration initiative in Ōhiwa Harbour. Creating biodegradable mussel spat lines out of dead tī kouka (cabbage tree) leaves to restore a declining green-lipped mussel population from 80,000 in 2019 to an outstanding 45 million mussels thriving on the seafloor in 2024.

All her projects combine mātauranga Māori with marine science to assist informed marine management decision-making. She trains taiohi (young people) to gain a formal freedive certification and conduct underwater kaitiakitanga surveys in their local marine areas.

Her collaborative model empowers taiohi and kaumātua alike, seamlessly integrating cultural protocols based on a lived kaupapa Māori methodology.

Professor Paul-Burke is innovative. One of her key passions is co-developing intergenerational marine restoration action with coastal hapū and iwi.

Her legacy ensures that the next generation of kaitiaki inherits both knowledge and a responsibility for a thriving moana.

Finalists: Te Kohuroa Rewilding Initiative and Whāngai Mokopuna Rohe Moana Management Group 

This award recognises leadership in market engagement and marketing innovation and/or development of new products or markets resulting in higher export returns while protecting sustainability.

Jake Dikstaal and Chase Hann from Leigh Fish with Tee Hale Pennington, Aquaculture New Zealand Chief Executive

Jake Dikstaal and Chase Hann: Leigh Fish

Leigh Fish is committed to ensuring kiwis can enjoy the best seafood New Zealand has to offer. In conjunction with Foodstuffs North Island, it has worked to ensure Southern Bluefin Tuna loin, traditionally a premium product exported overseas, is now available in New Zealand supermarkets. Leigh Fish estimates its expanding Southern Bluefin Tuna loin programme has increased local sales by 2,736 % between 2021 and 2024.

Initially the sole distributor of Earth Sciences New Zealand’s (formerly NIWA) farmed kingfish, Leigh Fish has worked closely with Earth Sciences New Zealand to develop a product that meets the needs of customers around the world.

Jake Dikstaal (operations manager) played a key role in the early development of Haku kingfish when the product was still relatively unknown, initially door-knocking businesses in Auckland’s central business district to build a loyal domestic customer base before transitioning to support and promote its entry into a fledgling export market.

Chase Hann (Leigh Fish manager) was instrumental in working with fishers to embrace the new tuna loin programme, providing them with the confidence to diversify beyond traditional markets. He has also worked with their export partners to further drive sales of the “Haku” farmed kingfish brand.

What began as a small trial is now a thriving domestic and export success, having graced the tables of restaurants throughout Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia.

Finalists: Clare and Tane Bradley from AgriSea New Zealand, and Alex Worker from Nutrition from Water (NXW).

This award recognises individuals under 35 in the seafood sector who are advancing sustainability through knowledge-sharing, innovative practices, and/or demonstrating commitment to protecting New Zealand’s aquatic environment.

Tamar Wells from Seafood New Zealand with Jenny Marcroft MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries

Tamar Wells: Seafood New Zealand

Tamar Wells is Seafood New Zealand’s principal policy manager inshore.

An innovative and forward-thinking leader, Tamar has shaped initiatives that strengthen both the sustainability of our fisheries and the resilience of the people who depend on them. Since 2018, she has played a key role in the East Coast Tarakihi Rebuild Plan – a landmark industry strategy to rebuild the stock while supporting fishers and their communities. She has also contributed to the design of bycatch reduction measures and the delivery of transitional support for fishers under the Hector’s and Māui Dolphin Threat Management Plan.

Prior to her current role, Tamar spent 6 years with Te Ohu Kaimoana, where she provided fisheries policy and management advice to iwi, managed Treaty settlement assets, and helped implement agreements between iwi and quota owners of 28N right stocks.

More recently, Tamar has been central to the work of the Seafood Industry Forum Sub-Group, ensuring industry voices informed the design of fisheries reforms aimed at improving responsiveness, efficiency, and certainty of fisheries decision-making. Tamar is widely recognised for her personable approach and ability to build strong, respectful relationships across industry, iwi, government, and communities.

Her deep knowledge of the sector also underpins her work as a trustee of the Fisher Wellbeing Trust (FirstMate), where she supports initiatives to improve the lives of fishers and their whānau. She regularly shares her expertise with university students across the motu, inspiring the next generation of fisheries leaders.

Finalists: William Macdonald from Rangitāne o Wairau, and Alex Hannon from Transition Technologies Limited.

This award recognises contributions to the protection of vulnerable marine species or mitigation of environmental impacts and positive contributions to New Zealand's reputation as a global leader in marine protection.

Pete Young and Dr Rebecca McLeod, Fiordland Marine Guardians with Philipp Neubauer, Director, Dragonfly Data Science

Fiordland Marine Guardians

The Fiordland Marine Guardians exemplify what can be achieved when diverse interests, including tangata whenua, commercial and recreational fishers, tourism operators, conservationists, and marine scientists, practice inclusive stewardship.

The guardians’ goal is to ensure that fishing in the Fiordland Marine Area, one of New Zealand’s most iconic marine areas, can be enjoyed by many generations to come. They believe that all fishers share responsibility for conserving the area’s valuable fisheries and protecting its unique marine environment.

Together, the guardians provide advice to the government, make recommendations on integrated management measures, promote collaboration, assess emerging threats to the area, and help monitor the health of the marine environment.

They have led transformative initiatives – from advocating for reduced recreational bag limits, spatial management, and recreational reporting to supporting baited underwater video monitoring, all aimed at rebuilding depleted stocks such as blue cod and hāpuku. They have also promoted a multi-agency approach to managing an invasive species and were the first region to introduce a proactive pathway management plan to prevent marine pest introductions.

With deep local knowledge and cross-sector collaboration, the guardians have a commitment to long-term ecosystem health and a philosophy of “fishing for a feed”, not the freezer – a principle that balances cultural values, food security, and conservation.

Finalists: Ngatiwai Ki Whangaruru Whenua Topu Trust – Mohimohi Moana Project, and Mike Rhodes from Talley’s Limited.

This award is presented to a marine farmer who is showing determination and continuing to innovate in the face of adversity.

Dan Bolger, Deputy Director-General Fisheries New Zealand with Jim Aitken from Mahurangi Oysters

Jim Aitken: Mahurangi Oysters

It was evident from a young age that Jim was going to become a fish farmer. He graduated from Otago University with a bachelor’s degree in ecology, minoring in marine biology. An opportunity to enter as a family into oyster farming was too good to pass up.

Jim now runs the day-to-day oyster farm operations and development at Mahurangi Oysters. Determined to develop the most sustainable form of aquaculture in oyster farming, he works hard at continually improving every aspect of the operation. Jim has led the transition of his family’s farm to Pacific oyster farming through the early adoption of FlipFarm equipment and the use of triploid oyster spat.

Jim is committed to continuous improvement and has more recently become an advocate for local oyster farmers as they work through water quality issues in Mahurangi Harbour. In addition to proving to be a capable oyster farmer, he’s also on a path to being a future industry leader.