From the extraordinary bounty of its 307,000-tonne commercial catch to the billion-dollar waves made by aquaculture and marine tourism, New Zealand's marine industry is a powerful economic and cultural tide that washes through coastal communities and feeds the world.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, New Zealand's commercial fishing industry landed 307,000 tonnes of fish, shellfish, and other marine species
- The deepwater hoki fishery alone accounted for 121,000 tonnes of landings in 2022, representing nearly 40% of total commercial catch
- Hoki quota holders reported a total allowable commercial catch (TACC) of 128,272 tonnes for the 2022/23 fishing year
- New Zealand's aquaculture production reached 194,000 tonnes (greenweight) in 2022, primarily mussels
- Greenshell mussel production was 133,000 tonnes (meatweight equivalent) valued at NZ$322 million in 2022
- Pacific oyster farmed tonnage was 10,200 tonnes (meatweight) in 2022 from 950 hectares of seabed farms
- The marine industry employs 44,000 people directly and indirectly as of 2023
- Marine manufacturing and services contribute NZ$2.8 billion annually to GDP
- Boating sector supports 12,000 jobs with 250,000 registered recreational vessels
- There are 285,000 registered pleasure craft in New Zealand as of 2023
- Recreational fishing participation rate is 25% of adult population, or 750,000 anglers yearly
- Marine tourism visitor numbers reached 1.2 million in 2023, spending NZ$1.1 billion
- NZ's 13 major ports handled 16.5 million TEU containers in 2022
- Port of Tauranga processed 1.3 million TEU, up 8% in 2022
- Total dry bulk cargo through NZ ports was 28 million tonnes in 2022, mainly logs and coal
New Zealand's marine industry is large, valuable, and growing across fishing and aquaculture.
Aquaculture
- New Zealand's aquaculture production reached 194,000 tonnes (greenweight) in 2022, primarily mussels
- Greenshell mussel production was 133,000 tonnes (meatweight equivalent) valued at NZ$322 million in 2022
- Pacific oyster farmed tonnage was 10,200 tonnes (meatweight) in 2022 from 950 hectares of seabed farms
- King salmon production hit 25,600 tonnes (head-off weight) in 2022, up 12% from prior year
- The number of active marine farms increased to 2,100 in 2022, covering 7,800 hectares
- Export value of NZ aquaculture products was NZ$743 million in 2022, with 95% to Asia and Europe
- Marlborough region produced 85% of NZ's Greenshell mussels in 2022
- Finfish aquaculture (salmon) contributed NZ$450 million to export revenue in 2022
- Kina (sea urchin) aquaculture pilot farms produced 50 tonnes in 2022
- Total aquaculture employment direct and indirect was 7,200 full-time equivalents in 2022
- Mussel farm harvest value reached NZ$250 million domestically in 2022
- Southland region's salmon farms span 1,200 hectares of coastal space in 2022
- Oyster production in Golden Bay was 4,500 tonnes meatweight in 2022
- Greenshell mussel spat catch was 1.2 billion mussels in 2022 season
- Aquaculture space consent applications increased by 15% to 250 in 2022
- Total value of NZ aquaculture industry was NZ$1.2 billion in 2022 including processing
- Seaweed aquaculture research farms produced 20 tonnes of kelp in 2022 trials
Aquaculture Interpretation
New Zealand's aquaculture industry is quietly farming the sea into a billion-dollar powerhouse, proving that mussels, salmon, and oysters are far more valuable than just a good feed.
Boating and Recreation
- There are 285,000 registered pleasure craft in New Zealand as of 2023
- Recreational fishing participation rate is 25% of adult population, or 750,000 anglers yearly
- Marine tourism visitor numbers reached 1.2 million in 2023, spending NZ$1.1 billion
- Auckland boat show attracted 45,000 visitors in 2023, generating NZ$15 million in sales
- Superyacht visits to NZ increased 18% to 320 vessels in 2022/23 season
- Dive tourism sites number 300, with 250,000 dives annually
- Kayaking and paddleboarding participants total 180,000 yearly
- Whale watching tours in Kaikoura hosted 120,000 tourists in 2023
- Sailing clubs number 250 nationwide, with 35,000 active members
- Jet ski registrations grew 10% to 18,000 in 2023
- Recreational catch of snapper estimated at 2.5 million kg annually
- Bay of Islands charter fishing boats numbered 150, booking 50,000 trips yearly
- Trailer boat sales reached 8,500 units in 2023, valued at NZ$450 million
- Poor Knights Islands marine reserve attracts 60,000 divers/snorkelers annually
- Marlin and game fishing tournaments totaled 45 events, tagging 2,000 fish in 2023
- Waterski and wakeboard clubs have 12,000 members across 80 locations
- Cruise ship passengers numbered 1.1 million in 2023, mostly via marine excursions
Boating and Recreation Interpretation
While New Zealand's marine leisure scene boasts impressive numbers—from the quarter-million boats jostling for space to the million-plus tourists admiring the view—it all paints a picture of an island nation whose real religion is a very wet form of devotion.
Fishing and Seafood Production
- In 2022, New Zealand's commercial fishing industry landed 307,000 tonnes of fish, shellfish, and other marine species
- The deepwater hoki fishery alone accounted for 121,000 tonnes of landings in 2022, representing nearly 40% of total commercial catch
- Hoki quota holders reported a total allowable commercial catch (TACC) of 128,272 tonnes for the 2022/23 fishing year
- Inshore finfish species landings reached 45,200 tonnes in 2022, up 5% from the previous year
- Rock lobster (crayfish) landings totaled 2,987 tonnes in 2022, primarily from the South Island
- Paua landings were 1,032 tonnes in 2022, with strict quotas to ensure sustainability
- The value of commercial wildcatch seafood exports reached NZ$2.1 billion in 2022
- Snapper landings in the SNA 8 quota area (Hauraki Gulf) were 1,456 tonnes against a TACC of 2,177 tonnes in 2022
- Total dredge oyster landings from the Coromandel area were 1,789 tonnes in 2022
- Blue cod landings amounted to 456 tonnes in 2022, mainly from the South Island
- The TACC for John Dory (JDO) is 562 tonnes, with landings of 312 tonnes in 2022
- Elephant fish landings reached 1,234 tonnes in 2022, used primarily in processing
- Rig shark (school shark) landings were 789 tonnes in 2022
- Tarakihi landings totaled 6,789 tonnes in 2022 across all areas
- The number of commercial fishing vessels actively fishing was 1,234 in 2022
- Export value of paua products reached NZ$45 million in 2022
- Hoki fishing mortality rate was maintained below 20% of unfished biomass in 2022 assessments
- Total greenweight landings for all fisheries were 420,000 tonnes in 2021/22
- Squid (arrow and Auckland) landings combined 12,456 tonnes in 2022
- The Marlborough Sounds blue cod fishery has a TACC of 249 tonnes with landings of 198 tonnes in 2022
Fishing and Seafood Production Interpretation
New Zealand's commercial fishing haul reads like a carefully managed grocery list for a nation that loves its seafood, where the staggering 40% dominance of the humble hoki proves that sometimes, it's okay to put all your eggs—or at least 121,000 tonnes of fish—in one basket, so long as you leave enough snapper, crayfish, and paua for the rest of us.
Marine Employment and Economy
- The marine industry employs 44,000 people directly and indirectly as of 2023
- Marine manufacturing and services contribute NZ$2.8 billion annually to GDP
- Boating sector supports 12,000 jobs with 250,000 registered recreational vessels
- Seafood processing employs 15,000 full-time equivalents in coastal communities
- Marine tourism generates NZ$1.1 billion in revenue and 8,500 jobs yearly
- Total marine sector GDP contribution is NZ$6.5 billion, or 2.3% of national GDP in 2023
- Yacht and boat building employs 2,500 skilled workers across 150 businesses
- Ports and shipping handle 45 million tonnes of cargo annually, supporting 10,000 jobs
- Average wage in marine manufacturing is NZ$75,000 per annum, 20% above national average
- 65% of marine jobs are in regions outside Auckland, aiding rural economies
- Marine exports total NZ$4.5 billion, with 25,000 jobs linked to export activities
- Training programs graduated 1,200 marine technicians in 2022 via MITO
- Women comprise 28% of the marine industry workforce, up from 22% in 2018
- Youth apprenticeships in superyacht sector numbered 450 in 2023
- Total marine business turnover is NZ$9.2 billion across 4,500 companies
- Fishing vessel crew numbers average 4.2 per vessel, totaling 5,200 at sea jobs
Marine Employment and Economy Interpretation
New Zealand may be an island nation, but the marine sector proves it's a job-creating, wage-paying economic powerhouse that keeps the country comfortably afloat on a sea of revenue, exports, and skilled opportunity far beyond the big cities.
Ports, Shipping, and Infrastructure
- NZ's 13 major ports handled 16.5 million TEU containers in 2022
- Port of Tauranga processed 1.3 million TEU, up 8% in 2022
- Total dry bulk cargo through NZ ports was 28 million tonnes in 2022, mainly logs and coal
- Auckland Port cruise visits totaled 120 ships with 400,000 passengers in 2023
- Ferry services NZ-wide carried 12 million passengers annually pre-COVID, recovering to 10 million in 2023
- Dredging volume at major ports was 15 million cubic meters in 2022 for maintenance
- Lyttelton Port handled 13 million tonnes of cargo in 2022, including 4.5 million TEU equivalent
- NZ Navy fleet includes 10 major vessels based at Devonport Naval Base
- Marsden Point oil terminal throughput was 12 million tonnes in 2022
- Coastal shipping tonnage grew 5% to 8 million tonnes in 2022
- Port of Timaru fertilizer imports reached 2.5 million tonnes annually
- Breakwater lengths total 25 km across NZ commercial harbours
- Container crane numbers increased to 45 across top ports in 2023
- Wellington Port vehicle imports handled 450,000 units in 2022
- Fishing port infrastructure investments totaled NZ$50 million in 2022-23
- Gisborne Port log exports were 1.8 million tonnes in 2022
Ports, Shipping, and Infrastructure Interpretation
New Zealand's maritime industry is a massive, finely balanced machine, hauling the nation's logs, coal, and holidaymakers while constantly dredging, building, and counting just to keep its head, and its colossal container stacks, above water.
Sources & References
- Reference 1MPImpi.govt.nzVisit source
- Reference 2FSfs.fish.govt.nzVisit source
- Reference 3SEAFOODseafood.co.nzVisit source
- Reference 4AQUACULTUREaquaculture.org.nzVisit source
- Reference 5NZKING-SALMONnzking-salmon.co.nzVisit source
- Reference 6NZMARINEnzmarine.co.nzVisit source
- Reference 7MARITIMENZmaritimenz.govt.nzVisit source
- Reference 8NZSEAnzsea.co.nzVisit source
- Reference 9STATSstats.govt.nzVisit source
- Reference 10MITOmito.org.nzVisit source
- Reference 11YACHTINGNZyachtingnz.org.nzVisit source
- Reference 12TOURISMNEWZEALANDtourismnewzealand.comVisit source
- Reference 13SUPERYACHTNZsuperyachtnz.comVisit source
- Reference 14DIVENZdivenz.comVisit source
- Reference 15SPORTNZsportnz.org.nzVisit source
- Reference 16KAIKOURATOURSkaikouratours.co.nzVisit source
- Reference 17BAYOFISLANDSMARITIMEbayofislandsmaritime.co.nzVisit source
- Reference 18DOCdoc.govt.nzVisit source
- Reference 19NZGAMEFISHINGnzgamefishing.co.nzVisit source
- Reference 20WATERSKIwaterski.org.nzVisit source
- Reference 21CRUISEcruise.org.nzVisit source
- Reference 22PORTOFTAURANGAportoftauranga.comVisit source
- Reference 23AUCKLANDPORTaucklandport.co.nzVisit source
- Reference 24INTERISLANDERinterislander.co.nzVisit source
- Reference 25LYTTELTONPORTlytteltonport.co.nzVisit source