Panoramic view of braided river in New Zealand

Photo Credit | Angus McIntosh ©

Reimagining freshwater ecosystem management in Aotearoa

Our mission is to drive change towards holistic and just freshwater fish management in Aotearoa.

Vision

Our vision is for decisions about freshwater fish to be made in partnership with Māori, be informed by community values, and account for the effects of climate change and ecosystem dynamics as they interact to shape what fish will live and thrive in our waterways. Fish Futures draws together indigenous and pākehā voices with freshwater science and management through:

Understanding how people relate to freshwater fish across Aotearoa.

Predicting future freshwater fish outcomes.

Co-developing new local and national fish management strategies that are holistic and just.

What's new

Invasive brown bullhead catfish are expanding their range in Aotearoa

Climate change and invasive brown bullhead catfish represent synergistic threats to kōura. Managers need to be able to identify habitat that is likely to be...

The Future of Fish at the 2024 New Zealand Freshwater Sciences Society Conference

From 19-22 November, a large team from Fish Futures gathered in Rotorua for the annual New Zealand Freshwater Sciences Society | Ngā Kohinga Wai o...

Student update: Lucy Coulston | Master of Science | University of Canterbury

The modification of coastal wetlands, such as Waitarakao and Waituna lagoons, alongside imposed management and governance processes, has affected the ability of mana whenua to...

More of what's new

Our research embraces a transdisciplinary and co-production approach to generating knowledge with our research partners.

Working with partners in three areas our research addresses key issues in local freshwater fish management. Through the translation of research findings to a national scale, we will leverage change nationally.

Our approach aims to foster local relationships, empower fish managers, enhance the mana of kaitiaki, and help bring traditional knowledge systems together with science on a level field to generate new knowledge that will improve freshwater ecosystems and the lives of people living within them.

Team

Our team bring a unique balance of strengths in freshwater fish ecology, Māori cultural research, environmental social science, and freshwater policy.