March 31, 2016
Value to fore at fisheries hui
The chair of Te Ohu Kaimoana, Jamie Tuuta, says it’s time for the Maori fisheries sector to make the investments needed to get more value out of the fishries settlement assets.
The Maori Fisheries Conference yesterday was around the theme Our Story, Our Values: promoting Maori provenance.
Mr Tuuta says He says the quota management system sets a limit to the amount of fish that can be taken from New Zealand waters in the interests of sustainability, and that story can help fetch better prices for premium products.
That means iwi need to think hard about what they can change the way they present their products and add value to them.
"You know ultimately the settlement was about Maori participating in the industry and exercising our fishing right and I think we're well placed and well positioned to do it in a way that truly reflects our values moving forward, and that might mean we don't have the stellar growth that you might see in other industries but that's fine as long as we're being able to exercise those rights and provide products that people are going to enjoy and value", says Mr Tuuta.
Jamie Tuuta says investment in technology such as on-board cameras and Precision Seafood Harvesting, a new trawling system that gets fish to the deck in better condition, will help the value story.
Te Ohu Kaimoana holds its annual meeting today, with the big item a vote on a new structure which gives iwi more direct control of assets like pan-Maori fishing company Aotearoa Fisheries.
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