Ā Mātou Mahi.
Our Work
Who We Are
We are a small, agile products and services company based in Wellington with a singular focus on fisheries. We have a depth of expertise only achieved by organisations that have undertaken specialised roles for decades.
What We Offer
Established in 1999, we provide the services that support and enhance the operation of the Quota Management System (QMS) underpinning the sustainability of Aotearoa New Zealand’s fisheries.
Who We Report To
We are a wholly owned subsidiary of Seafood New Zealand Limited.
Fishserve is the Approved Service Delivery Organisation (ASDO), accountable to the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries for a range of statutory functions and duties under the Fisheries Act. We also provide registry services to Fisheries New Zealand and information services to Sector Representative Entities (SREs) to support the management of fisheries.
Our Passion
Passionate about supporting sustainable fisheries, our in-house team is dedicated to delivering responsive, data-driven services to meet the evolving needs of Aotearoa New Zealand’s fisheries, including and beyond the existing regulatory functions.
Our Vision
Supporting fishers to feed the world for generations to come
Our Purpose
Enabling successful and sustainable fisheries through smart information services
Ko Tā Mātou Tirohanga Whakamua
Ka tautoko i ngā kaihao ki te whāngi i tea o hei ngā reanga hare rake nei
Ko Tō Mātou Kaupapa
Mā ngā ratonga pārongo koi e angitū ai, e toitū ai te haronga ika
What We Do
Fishserve has a discrete and prescribed role within the seafood industry, providing:
Administrative services to support the operation of the Quota Management System (QMS).
Responsive, data-driven services that add value to the management of fisheries.
Financial management and corporate services to representative entities within the seafood sector – such as levy collections, debt recovery and financial reporting.
Our Administration of the QMS Includes:
Administering quota and catch allocation rights.
Management of all catch data.
Managing all financial transactions associated with the QMS
Issuing of licenses (permits and vessel licenses).
We do this through purpose-built web-based software that provides industry and government with a single, secure platform, and the public with access to registry information as set out in the Fisheries Act 1996.
Fishserve also provides non-statutory, responsive, data-driven information services to support Fisheries Management Plans and other sector-based activities.
Delivering these services for almost a quarter of a century means we have a deep appreciation and understanding of the sector. Our role in facilitating electronic reporting now means we are positioned to deliver greater value through developing responsive, data-driven services that support decision-making across Aotearoa New Zealand’s fisheries.
Our Statutory Role
When the Fisheries Act 1996 came into force in October 2001, it allowed for an organisation to be designated the Approved Service Delivery Organisation (ASDO). This allowed the Ministry to devolve administrative services.
The Act requires that an ASDO must be registered under the Companies Act, be financially viable and have the support of quota owners.
Fishserve became the ASDO in 2013, having provided ASDO administrative services under contract to the Seafood Industry Council from 2001 to 2013. Fishserve’s ASDO status was renewed in 2023 for a further five years.
As the appointed ASDO, Fishserve is required to comply with the standards and specifications that apply to the functions, duties or powers it is responsible for under section 2960(4) of the Fisheries Act.
The integrity, accuracy and efficiency of our operations is critical for the success of the QMS. Since being appointed the ASDO and Service Delivery Agency for Registry Services, Fishserve has consistently met the conditions prescribed in the Act and set out in the standards and specifications. In 25 years Fishserve has never breached its obligations or been sanctioned.
The high level of trust in Fishserve’s provision of statutory services is underpinned by the following structure and principles adopted by the company:
Independence: Our constitution creates an arm's length from our industry shareholder Seafood New Zealand through requiring an independent chair and that only one director can be a director of Seafood New Zealand.
Policy neutrality: Fishserve’s governance ensures we are protected from the potential influence of individual commercial participants and wider industry politics.
Demonstrated support of quota owners: Fishserve has maintained the majority support of quota owners since 2001, with SREs and commercial stakeholder organisations (CSOs) providing letters of support for our renewal applications, as required to be appointed the ASDO.
Financial viability, including the willingness to reinvest: By 2016, Fishserve had reduced our cost to the industry from $8.65 million to $4 million through achieving constant improvements in service delivery and investment in technology.
Who We Work With
Fishserve’s daily interactions with fishers and the wider fishing industry makes us a logical connector across Aotearoa New Zealand's fisheries – both as the independent administrator of existing statutory services and as a primary channel for the introduction and management of new services.
As such we have a company focus on collaboration and building effective partnerships that leverage this long-serving role to support the sustainability of Aotearoa New Zealand's fisheries.
We share relationships with:
The Minister for Oceans and Fisheries (as the ASDO under part 15A of the Fisheries Act).
Fisheries New Zealand (and other government agencies whose work intersects with fisheries management).
SREs – the Paua Industry Council, Rock Lobster Industry Council and Seafood New Zealand (including the inshore and deepwater industry councils).
Commercial fishing businesses.
Other industry organisations.
Technology providers.
Science and information specialists.
Ka tautoko i ngā kaihao ki te whāngi i te ao hei ngā reanga hare rake nei