What Fish & Game does

Fish & Game New Zealand is a not-for-profit statutory organisation established under the 1953 Wildlife Act with exclusive responsibility for managing sports fish and game birds and their habitats across New Zealand. It operates a national structure of one National Council headquartered in Wellington (Level 1, Unit 2, 166 Featherston St) and 12 regional councils covering Northland, Auckland/Waikato, Eastern, Hawke's Bay, Taranaki, Wellington, Nelson/Marlborough, West Coast, North Canterbury, Central South Island, Otago, and Southland. The organisation's core products are Sports Fishing Licences and Game Bird Hunting Licences — both legally required to participate in freshwater fishing or game bird hunting in New Zealand — issued through a self-serve online portal (fishandgame.eslltd.co.nz) and a physical agent network of outdoor and tackle retailers across all regions. Special licence categories include non-resident, designated waters, and controlled fisheries licences with additional fees.

The business model is funded entirely through licence sales (one-time/perpetual licence model, pay-as-you-go cadence). Surrounding the core licence products, Fish & Game runs a substantial ecosystem of supporting programmes: education (Fish in Schools, Hunter National Training Scheme, Hawke's Bay Education Centre), conservation and habitat (Trout Stocking, Wetland Education, ReWild, H2Woah, NZ Game Bird Habitat Trust collaboration), accessibility (Park & Cast, Inch Clutha Wheelchair Accessible Maimai), wellbeing (Fishing for Mental Health), research (three-year Mallard Duck telemetry, Tagged Trout Reporting, Duck Band Recovery), and community engagement through affiliated angling and hunting clubs. Marketing is primarily content-driven via a website, YouTube tutorials, regional newsletters (Reel Life, Both Barrels), and seasonal fishing/hunting reports.

Strategic positioning centres on being the regulatory and conservation custodian of recreational freshwater fishing and game bird hunting rather than a commercial technology or consumer brand. Partnerships with the Department of Conservation (predator control), Mountain Safety Council (firearms safety), and Walking Access Mapping System (public access maps) extend its operational footprint. There is no disclosed revenue, no parent company, no funding rounds, no AI/ML capability, and no mobile application; the organisation's underlying technology is a conventional licence-portal web stack. The most recent reported operational change is the continuation of a CEO secondment arrangement.

Name

Fish & Game

Legal name

Fish & Game New Zealand

Website

https://fishandgame.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Fish & Game New Zealand is a statutory not-for-profit that manages sports fish and game birds through a National Council and 12 regional councils, funded entirely by legally required fishing and hunting licence sales and supplemented by education, conservation, and accessibility programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Management

NAICS

Fishing, Hunting and Trapping (114)

SIC

Fishing, Hunting And Trapping (900)

akta.pro primary industry

Agriculture, Fisheries & Food Administration (BPAIAAAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Veterinary Regulatory Authorities (Licensing, Compliance & Enforcement) (HLAMAJAC)

Keywords

• Sports fishing licences
• Game bird hunting
• Freshwater fisheries management
• Wildlife habitat conservation
• Statutory wildlife management

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Fishing Licence Sales: Revenue generated from the sale of sports fishing licences including standard licences (single day to full season), designated waters licences, and controlled fishery licences. The licence funds essential work administering and protecting freshwater fishing environments.
2. Game Bird Hunting Licence Sales: Revenue from the sale of game bird hunting licences including standard options and regional-specific licences. Funded through the sale of hunting licences.
3. Special Licence Options: Revenue from special licence categories including non-resident licences, designated waters licences, and controlled fishery licences which have additional fees beyond standard licences.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Fish & Game New Zealand issues statutory sports fishing licences and game bird hunting licences required by law for all freshwater fishers and game bird hunters in New Zealand. The organization also delivers habitat protection, hatchery operations, conservation research, public access programmes, and hunter and angler education through a national structure of 12 regional councils.

Product overview

Fish & Game New Zealand is a not-for-profit organisation that manages, maintains, and enhances sports fish and game birds and their habitats. The core offerings consist of Sports Fishing Licences and Game Bird Hunting Licences, both available in various standard and special options (designated waters, controlled fisheries, non-resident). Supporting these core licensing products are multiple educational and conservation programmes including the Fish in Schools Programme, Hunter National Training Scheme, Trout Stocking Programme, and Wetland Education Programme. The organisation also provides informational services such as Regional Fishing Reports, Regional Hunting Reports, and Tagged Trout Reporting. Additional offerings include publications (Fish & Game Magazine, Cookbook), conservation campaigns (ReWild, H2Woah, Fishing for Mental Health), and accessibility initiatives like the Park & Cast Programme. Research programmes include the Mallard Duck Research Programme and Duck Band Recovery Programme. The organisation is funded through licence sales and operates through 12 regional councils covering all of New Zealand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sports Fishing Licence Statutory licence required by law for all individuals to fish recreationally in New Zealand freshwater rivers and lakes, covering trout, salmon, and coarse species.
• Game Bird Hunting Licence Statutory licence required by law to hunt game birds in New Zealand, with regional regulations governing each of the 12 Fish & Game regions.
• Non-Resident Fishing Licence Special-category fishing licence for international visitors to New Zealand who wish to fish recreationally in freshwater.
• Trout Stocking Programme Hatchery-supported programme that stocks trout into designated lakes to maintain and enhance recreational freshwater fishing opportunities.
• Hunter National Training Scheme Structured national training programme providing new hunters in New Zealand with the safety, regulatory, and practical knowledge required to hunt game birds.
• Fish in Schools Programme School-based educational programme that teaches children about freshwater fish species and freshwater environments.
• Park & Cast Programme National programme designed to encourage participation in freshwater fishing by promoting accessible fishing locations, including sites suitable for individuals with mobility impairments.
• Mallard Duck Research Programme Three-year telemetry research project studying mallard duck populations, including tracking, survival, and habitat data to inform game bird management.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Better Hunting (GAC)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGAC Better Hunting is an approved hunter education programme provider linked from Fish & Game's hunting knowledge hub. Provides structured hunter education training for new hunters in New Zealand.
• NZ Game Bird Habitat TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished under the 1953 Wildlife Act, the Trust exists primarily to improve New Zealand game bird habitat and secondarily to improve waterfowl hunters' opportunities. Works in conjunction with Fish & Game for habitat protection.
• Angling ClubscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of local fishing clubs throughout New Zealand affiliated with Fish & Game. Clubs help educate anglers, organize fishing trips, and provide local expertise to members and newcomers.
• Local Hunting ClubscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of hunting clubs across New Zealand regions that work with Fish & Game for hunter education, safety training, and community building. Organized under regional council supervision.
• Department of Conservation (DOC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDOC traps mentioned in predator control programme. Both organizations work toward conservation goals in New Zealand's natural environment.
• Mountain Safety CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMountain Safety Council provides safety notes for hunting included in Fish & Game's staying safe resources. Partnership for firearms safety and outdoor safety education.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Trout Unlimited: A US-based nonprofit focused on coldwater fisheries conservation, particularly trout and salmon habitat. Directly comparable in mission (trout/salmon management), funding model (angler-supported), and structure (volunteer-driven, regional chapters).
• Ducks Unlimited: A nonprofit waterfowl and wetlands conservation organization operating in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Directly comparable to Fish & Game's game bird management mandate — habitat protection, hunter-funded conservation, and banding/research programmes.
• Pheasants Forever: A US upland game bird habitat conservation nonprofit funded by hunters. Comparable in its focus on game bird (pheasant/quail) habitat work, hunter-funded model, and regional chapter structure that mirrors Fish & Game's 12 regional councils.
• Delta Waterfowl: A duck conservation organization in North America focused on breeding duck populations, hunter recruitment, and research. Comparable to Fish & Game's mallard research programme and hunter education initiatives.

Emerging players

• Wildlife Habitat Canada: A Canadian nonprofit that funds habitat conservation projects, including waterfowl and upland game bird work. Comparable in mission (habitat-focused, hunter-supported conservation) but operates as a grantmaker rather than direct manager.
• Safari Club International: A US-based international hunting organization focused on wildlife conservation and hunter advocacy. Comparable in hunting community engagement and conservation funding, though not a direct statutory body like Fish & Game.

Regional players

• Salmon & Trout Conservation (UK): A UK-based charity focused on wild salmon and trout conservation through science, advocacy, and habitat work. Comparable mission on freshwater fisheries protection but operates via advocacy and lobbying rather than statutory licence issuance.
• Angling Trust: The representative body for anglers in England and Wales, advocating for fishing rights and freshwater protection. Comparable as a national angling representative body, though operating in advocacy rather than direct statutory management.

Others

• NZ Federation of Freshwater Anglers: A national federation representing NZ freshwater angling clubs, working alongside Fish & Game on angler interests. Comparable as an adjacent representative body within the NZ recreational fishing ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Department of Conservation (DOC): NZ's central government conservation agency that manages public conservation land and works jointly with Fish & Game on predator control and habitat protection. Comparable as a sister statutory body covering adjacent wildlife and habitat mandates within New Zealand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FishandGameNZ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fish-game-new-zealand

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fish & Game