Sectors in the Industry and what they do

Aquaculture

Aquaculture is the fastest growing sector of its seafood industry, and is the practice of farming finfish and shellfish species in contained environments. The flagship species are New Zealand Greenshell^TM Mussels, followed by King Salmon and Pacific Oysters.  The farming is both land-based and in the sea close-to-shore.  Methods of farming include using rope-culture, trays, sea-cages, or on-shore tanks.  Career opportunities include Aquaculture divers, sea-cage farm workers, spat collectors, hatchery technicians, as well as management roles as you progress.

Vessel operations

From small boats, to huge ships it will require you to be at sea for short or long periods of time operating the fishing machinery, or working with the catch.

Wholesale and Retail

You will know a lot about the different fish species and the distribution and handling process of getting seafood from the wharf to the consumers table.  You could be working with the general public and other sales people in the industry.

Processing

Working and handling seafood fresh from the ships and preparing it to be sold onto distributors or exported overseas. This might often require you to work in a large team specializing in a certain process.

Maori sectors

Managing this important New Zealand resource, and making sure there is enough for our future.  It involves applying traditional cultural practices and representing Maori concerns.

Careers

Within each sector there are often many careers to choose from. Below are some examples of different jobs. More detail and links can be found under sectors.

Aquaculture

• Marine Farm Worker
• Supervisor
• Skipper 
• Operations Manager
• Aquaculture Diver
• Hatchery Technician 
• Spat Collector

Vessel Operations

• Skipper
• Vessel
• Fleet or Factory Manager 
• Engineer

Wholesale and Retail

• Seafood Retail Assistant
• Bar Manager 
• Wholesaler

Processing

• Seafood Production
• Quality Assurance 
• Factory Manager
• Seafood or Factory Supervisor 
• Processor
• Fish Filleter or Trimmer

Maori

• Governance
• management and regulatory compliance positions
• environmental planning.

 

Businesses and Contacts in the Industry

These well established businesses in New Zealand are a part of the seafood industry.  Some of the larger companies have links to their "career" pages on their websites - others you can make contact with directly.

Aquaculture

Company	Location	Website or contact
NZ King Salmon Ltd	Marlborough, Nelson	Grant Lovell 03 520 3165 www.kingsalmon.co.nz
Elaine Bay Aquaculture (owned by Sealords Ltd)	Marlborough/Nelson	Jonathon Large 03 576 5096 extn 6 www.sealord.co.nz
Sanford	Coromandal, Marlborough Sounds and Stewart Island	Campbell Barr 07 866 8853 www.sanford.co.nz
Clevedon Coast Oysters	Auckland	Roly Rush 09 292 8023 www.clevedonoysters.co.nz
Aotearoa Seafoods	Marlborough, Canterbury	Mark Hone 03 578 2069 www.wakatu.org.nz/asl

Vessel Operations

Company	Location	Website or contact
Sealord	live anywhere in NZ!	www.sealord.co.nz
Sanford	-	www.sanford.co.nz
Talleys	-	www.talleys.co.nz

Wholesale and retail

Company	Location	Website or contact
NZ Wholesale Seafood	Auckland	www.fishonline.co.nz
Star Fish Supply	Napier	www.star-fish.co.nz
Foodstuffs	New Zealand wide	www.foodstuffs.co.nz
Progressive Enterprises Limited	New Zealand wide	www.progressive.co.nz

Processing

Company	Location	Website or contact
Sealord	Nelson	www.sealord.co.nz
Sanford	Auckland, Tauranga, Timaru, Oamaru, Bluff	www.sanford.co.nz
Talleys	Nelson, Motueka, Takaka, Picton, Blenheim, Westport, Greymouth, Timaru	www.talleys.co.nz
Moana Pacific	Auckland, Gisborne	www.moanapacific.com
Gisborne Fisheries	Gisborne

Maori

Company	Location	Website or contact
Te Ohu Kai Moana Trustee Ltd	Wellington	www.teohu.maori.nz
Aotearoa Fisheries Ltd	Wellington	www.afl.maori.nz

Qualifications Available

It is rarely necessary to obtain qualifications to enter the industry.  Mostly, skills are taught on-the-job and experience can quickly move you forward.  Training supports employees to understand the theory and non-practical aspects of their job or to further their knowledge and interests.

A comprehensive list of qualifications is available at qualifications. Below are a few examples:

• National Certificate in Aquaculture (Diving)
• National Diploma in Seafood Vessel Operations (Factory Trawler Technician)
• National Certificate in Seafood Processing
• National Certificate in Seafood Retailing
• National Certificate in Seafood Mâori (Customary Fishing)

Unit standard base training can be subsidized by Seafood ITO. There are heaps of unit standards available, achieving specific skills from Level 1 to 6 and covering all areas of the seafood industry.

Other Suggestions

• Why not contact people selling at your local fish market or your fish and chip shop owner? Talk to them about who they work with and how they get their fish. It might give you some ideas of who else you could talk to, or if you like the sound of a job or a particular part of the industry.
• Have a chat to your guidance counselor about approaching businesses in the phone book, or applying for jobs listed on their websites.
• Search on the internet for companies in the industry and read their websites to find out what they do.

There are many ways to get a foot-in-the-door by taking a little initiative and asking the right questions.