The regional Fish & Game councils are the statutory managers of sports fish and game bird resources and their sustainable recreational use by anglers and hunters New Zealand-wide, except in the Chatham Islands and the Lake Taupo catchment which is managed by the Department of Conservation.
Use the regional selector at the top of the home page to read more about the role of the local Fish & Game Council in each region, as well as to find freshwater fishing and game bird hunting information specific to each region.
To do this the New Zealand Fish & Game Council has a number of formal statutory powers, but the need for the whole organisation to work co-operatively in the interests of anglers and hunters is just as important.
The NZ Fish & Game Council is not some separate being – in many ways it's a creature of the regions. Every one of the 12 New Zealand councillors is nominated by their own region. Councillors don't just represent their region (as they have to take a national overview in their deliberations), they are expected to be the main link between the NZ Council and the regions.