To kick off the MSC’s global World Ocean Day celebrations, over 60 stakeholders joined the MSC team in Wellington for networking, canapes, and inspiring talks.
Here are our key takeouts from the event.
The MSC team Perya Short, Alex Webb, Patrick Caleo, Rika Milne, and Anita Lee, with event host Katherine Short at the Wharewaka Function Centre
New Zealand consumers increasingly concerned about the ocean
92% of seafood shoppers in New Zealand feel worried about the state of the world’s oceans, with pollution and overfishing at the top of their minds. Alongside price and health considerations, there’s a self-reported shift toward a more plant-based diet, with the claimed purchase of seafood down.
Despite this, two in five seafood consumers in New Zealand intend to buy more sustainable seafood to protect the future of fish in our ocean while looking to brands and retailers to verify their environmental claims by an independent organisation.
Discover more insights with the full event recording
80,000 students reached by Te Kawa O Tangaroa
The MSC has partnered with various organisations to advance ocean literacy and reach more classrooms and the wider public. These partnerships have included the National Aquarium of New Zealand and the House of Science. At the event, it was announced that a new House of Science Antarctica Kit, focused on sustainable fishing in the Southern Ocean, was being launched in Wellington.
A selection of hands-on learning resources inside the new House of Science Antarctica Kit
George Clement receives Lifetime Recognition
George spent over 40 years promoting NZ's sustainably managed fisheries to a global audience, holding numerous positions, including CEO of Deepwater Group with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. He also developed the Quota Management System and established his own successful fisheries consultancy.
George played a pivotal role in successfully helping the Māori renegotiate their fishing rights based on the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi and was a Fisheries Advisor to the Prince of Wales Trust’s International Sustainability Unit.
George Clement was presented with a Lifetime Recognition from MSC Asia Pacific Director Patrick Caleo.
Foodstuffs named Retail Trailblazer
Cindy To of Foodstuffs (pictured centre right) picked up an award for Retail Trailblazer for its extensive seafood offering in frozen, chilled value-added, canned, and pet food. In 2022, it became the first retailer in the Oceania region to switch the sourcing of its 20 private-label Pams canned tuna lines to MSC-certified with the MSC blue fish tick label.
Sealord named Brand Trailblazer
Sealord also received an award for Brand Trailblazer for their extensive MSC-certified frozen value-added products, which provide consumers with everyday easy meal solutions.
Anita Lee (centre) with Charles Heaphy, Stewart Reynolds, Annabel Scaife and Doug Paulin
