Stand for fishing, hunting and the environment – call for candidates to contest the Fish & Game elections

Anglers and hunters are being called on to stand as candidates in this year’s Fish & Game elections.

The elections are held every three years to select councillors for the 12 Fish & Game regions which help govern this country’s outstanding freshwater fisheries and game bird hunting.

Candidate nominations open on Saturday 13 August and close at the end of the month.  Any full season licenceholder is eligible to stand for election.

The chairman of Fish & Game New Zealand Council Lindsay Lyons is encouraging people to stand in the elections.

“Like any organisation, Fish & Game needs to keep developing. We need new blood coming through the ranks to ensure there are new ideas and the energy to put them into action,” Mr Lyons says.

“We have always been lucky to have great women and men willing to be on Fish & Game councils, and our organisation has benefited from their hard work and commitment.”

Lindsay Lyons says the legacy of those decades of work is that Fish & Game is a powerful voice in protecting the environment.

“Fish & Game represents more than the interests of anglers and hunters – it is also the public’s champion when it comes to important issues like water quality, pollution, the environment and access to the outdoors,” he says.

Lindsay Lyons is particularly keen on getting more women anglers and hunters to become councillors.

“We want Fish & Game to better reflect the whole population and this year’s elections present a perfect opportunity to get more women and younger anglers and hunters on our councils,” Mr Lyons says. 

“We have nowhere near enough and I am calling for more to stand as councillors,” he says.

“Fish & Game is facing significant issues over water quality, the environment, public access to the outdoors and recruitment.

“We need good, energetic people on our councils to make sure we’re well prepared to fight for what we believe in.”

After nominations for candidates close, voting will begin in September, with results announced in mid-October.

Fish & Game’s elections are run to a high standard by independent outside experts, Electionz.com, which has a successful track record of managing elections for local government and other national bodies.

 Nominations are open!

Click here for 'how to' information.