Aotearoa Fisheries appoints new directors to Sealord

4 February 2016

Aotearoa Fisheries appoints new directors to Sealord

Aotearoa Fisheries Limited is making changes to its appointed directors to Sealord Group Limited in order to have a complete alignment of its appointees with its own board. Aotearoa Fisheries owns 50% of Sealord on behalf of all Māori, and as such appoints half of the Sealord board of directors.

As part of the recent Maori Fisheries Act review Iwi expressed a strong desire for the Aotearoa Fisheries Limited appointed Sealord directors to come directly from the Aotearoa Fisheries Limited Board. Aotearoa Fisheries Limited Chairman Whaimutu Dewes said these changes will give effect to this desire.

Aotearoa Fisheries already has one of its directors, Tony Hannon, on the Sealord Board. He will be joined on 1 March 2016 by director Craig Ellison and by Aotearoa Fisheries Chairman Whaimutu Dewes, who will also take up the role of Chairman of the Sealord Board. Aotearoa Fisheries other appointed director, Sealord Chairman, Matanuku Mahuika will remain on the Sealord Board until 30 November 2016.

Mr Dewes, of Ngāti Porou and Ngati Rangitihi descent, has served in a number of seafood-related roles including the first 10 years on the Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission. He is a former Director of Moana Pacific Fisheries and was Deputy Chair of Sealord from 1992 to 2008. As well as being active in the affairs of his Iwi, Mr Dewes is also on the boards of Contact Energy, and the Treasury.

Mr Ellison is currently the Executive Chairman of Ngai Tahu Seafood Limited and the Chairman of the New Zealand Seafood Standards Council. Mr Ellison was a board member of the former Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission and helped establish Aotearoa Fisheries Limited through the Māori Fisheries Settlement allocation process.

Messrs Dewes and Ellison will replace current Sealord directors Keith Sutton and Bob Major.

Mr Sutton, a former director of Aotearoa Fisheries Limited, has served as a director on the Sealord board from 2002 to 2008, and again since 2012. Mr Major has served on the Sealord Board for nearly four years.

“Both Keith and Bob have served the Sealord board well and we thank them both for their valuable input over the years” says Mr Dewes.

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